Suffering in all forms is a deeply personal matter and is as unique as the way in which each individual lives it out. There are many, great notable examples of persons who suffered and it defined their lives:
- Nelson Mandela: Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician who spent 27 years in prison for his activism against racial segregation and injustice.
- Anne Frank: Anne Frank was a Jewish teenager who went into hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.
- Malala Yousafzai: Malala is a Pakistani activist known for advocating girls’ education. In 2012, she survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban
- Viktor Frankl: Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor. He endured internment in several concentration camps, including Auschwitz.
In the Bible, the man named Job is most know for and defined by his suffering. In a cosmic agreement between God and Satan, God allowed Job to suffer the loss of his children and his wealth all in a very short time. Much of the book of Job is a record of his navigation through suffering.
How did Job survive his suffering and what hope did he hold to?
There are many lessons to take from the book of Job, and here I’ll give only one example. Read the following excerpt from Job 14-10-14 ESV:
In the last verse above, how did it occur to Job that he might live again, that there is life after death? This is before the time of Jesus and life after death was not a certainty nor if there was one, that it would be a life one would want. And he indicates that his “renewal” should come, so Job isn’t describing an afterlife in the shadowy realm of “Sheol” – a dark pit and a place people go when they die.
It is certainly possible and has been established that people of all beliefs and faiths have endured suffering even to the point of the sufferer seeing the benefit of it; how it can develop one’s character and orientation of the world and priorities. However, I think the case for Job is unique.
Job suffered profoundly and the impact on his life did something remarkable.
Could it be that Job, in his suffering, came to know the LORD God so well that he even gained some understanding that there would be a “renewal” for him at the end of his life? If this is true, how could you and I develop a closer, intimate relationship with God? Certainly, no one among us would ask to suffer. But it is a likelihood for many of us that there will be a season – or more than one – in which suffering will get our full attention. So, what shall we do in this? What did Job do?
- He was honest with God about his feelings
- He came to accept God’s will and ways are a mystery
- He learned humility, especially during God’s responses to his prayers
- He persevered in the testing of his faith; he continued to believe and seek God
This post is in no way an attempt to minimize suffering. If you are in a season of suffering, I have no words that would comfort you without potentially trivializing your circumstances. I am sorry for your pain.
Yet, recognize that we aren’t really in control of our world nor our lives, or when we encounter suffering, Job sets a great example of how we might consider reorienting our thinking and behaviors. Use this time as a unique opportunity to gain intimate knowledge of the God of the universe. He just may reveal himself to you in a way you’ve never known him, just like Job.
Inspired by a sermon from Timothy Keller
Richard Bahr 