The Questions We’d Rather Avoid
By Dean Collins
As I finish the book of Job today, I will confess that when Job popped up in my read-through-the-Bible plan a couple of weeks ago, I sighed. For most of my adult life, I have read through the Bible each year, and honestly, the book of Job is one of the books that I would prefer to skip over. I know the plot, and I don’t really like it. Sure, at the end it all works out, but it is a long and agonizing path to the end.
I am not Job, and my problems aren’t the size of his, but they are often bigger than I would prefer. And while we don’t know the exact duration of Job’s struggles, it seems that Bible scholars tend to think it was maybe in the range of two months to two years. Whatever the duration, it was intense. Some of my struggles have lasted longer. I imagine that some of you can say the same.
I have friends who have struggled with diseases personally or in their families for more than a decade. Some struggle all their lives. And there are other difficulties that do not quickly resolve themselves: bankruptcy, loss of jobs, the destruction of property due to tornadoes and hurricanes, and legal issues, to name a few.
Job ends well, but those 39 chapters of suffering and questioning are hard to endure. So, when I get to Job, I sometimes simply don’t want to be reminded that suffering comes to everyone at some time, and sometimes it comes for a long time. And yet, the words of Jesus run through my mind: “In this world you will have troubles, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:13)
When we get closer to the end of Job, we must face God just as Job did. The questions Job has to wrestle with are the same questions we must consider but usually attempt to avoid. In the last chapter of Job, we hear Job’s acknowledgment that God is the all-knowing one. Job acknowledges that he doesn’t really know what he is talking about and that only God knows all things, and it is his right to disclose or not disclose anything he chooses.
As the book wraps up, it is encouraging to remember that the dialogue between God and Job was very direct. Our prayers can be honest, open, and direct. And God certainly understands that our understanding is limited and that our emotions can run high and low, as they did in Job’s case. When we read Job, we tend to have a sigh of relief that his wealth is restored or even increased and that he is blessed with children and we assume grandchildren based on his length of life. But we should note that while that is all well and good, Job’s real transformation happened before all was restored. Here are Job’s profound words: “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.”
It happens from time to time that after great suffering we receive some financial blessing. While God may bless some with wealth, the world is filled with people who God blesses and gets them through their suffering, and they still have limited resources. The beauty of Job’s story is the transformation of understanding of God and that he never lets us go, even when we experience the troubles that Jesus said we would experience. And what joy and peace we can have when we remember what Jesus said right after we will have trouble in this world: “But take heart, I have overcome the world!”
Father, thank you for your inspired written word that teaches, corrects, and directs us. Today, we understand better that in this world we will have trouble and sometimes those troubles are especially long and hard. Today we want to see you in the middle of our struggles and know your presence more fully. We are so grateful for Jesus, who has overcome the world. We surrender ourselves to him now. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Job 40:1-8, 42:2-17; Psalm 34:18 ESV
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