Bible Passage: “Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.'” (Job 1:8 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Job 1:1-22; Psalm 34:19; 1 Peter 4:12-13
The first chapter of the book of Job is, admittedly, a bit of a weird one.
It sets up the whole book, and I’ll be the first to acknowledge it’s just kinda strange.
Job is a good man. A great man, actually. Upright, God-fearing, a good dad, and a generous friend.
Yet his name has become synonymous with the most horrific suffering.
And it all starts with a wager of sorts, a debate between God and Satan over whether a man can hold true to his convictions and trust in God in the midst of pain.
Satan thinks he can break anybody and cause them to curse God. God is supremely confident that Job will pass the test and grants Satan permission to strike Job’s wealth, his family, and his health.
Why does God do this?
Theologians have been debating that for thousands of years, and we certainly won’t be able to answer it here.
For certain, it seems unfair, and poor Job is an innocent caught in the crossfire of a heavenly debate.
Yet there is divine purpose in the trials, for Job and for us.
One clear truth that we take away right off the top is that sometimes good men suffer.
A man’s goodness does not remove suffering as an element of his life. We can’t earn our way out of suffering via our strong character or righteous actions.
Sometimes suffering happens, even to the best of us.
That shouldn’t be that shocking, as of course, we have put our faith in a Savior who suffered, and He was perfectly righteous in every way.
Suffering is the fallout of a fallen world, and even good men bear its consequences.
This helps us during times when we feel we are suffering for doing right.
When we do, we are men like Job, and more importantly, like Jesus, who also suffered for doing what was right. We suffer as Christ suffered and become like Him as we do (1 Peter 4:12-13).
This may not soften our suffering or take the pain away, but it does help us reframe it.
Due to the fallenness of our world, sometimes good men still suffer. We take hope in the fact that we sometimes don’t cause it ourselves, and that God ultimately oversees it all and has our back.
Prayer: Lord, I see the times in my life where I have suffered unfairly. I am choosing to leave the “Why?” in Your hands. Give me the strength to walk through the trials, and please heal what hurts from what I’ve been through. Amen.
Reflection: What would you say if you could talk to God face-to-face about a hard season you have been through? He is not afraid of tough questions or honest emotions! Write out a prayer to Him where you share your thoughts with Him, whatever they may be.
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