Job – Suffering That Leads to Hope

Since March when my husband and I had Covid, for the first and hopefully, the last time, I’ve had one physical issue after another. It began with a frozen shoulder brought about by coughing fits that had me propping up on my arm in a manner that injured it in some way. I’m still in PT, three months later.

Then, in an effort to help my husband renew our front flower bed, I knelt too long on my right knee creating two issues—bursitis on the front of my knee, and a reinjury of hyperextension on the back of that knee. Additional PT sessions were added to address these ailments.

Things were going pretty well in PT, then I was hit with a bout of vertigo. No sooner had my PT people fixed this than a new pair of Sunday shoes decided to give me fits with Morton’s neuroma in the foot on the leg with all the issues.

When we go through painful things, be they emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, or a combination of these, I think we probably feel a bit like Job. I know I’ve felt as though I’ve taken a bit of his journey lately.

HOPE IN THE BOOK OF JOB

Job - Suffering That Leads to Hope @DDuPreeWilliams #hopeinsuffering #writing Share on X

But the book of Job isn’t only about Job’s suffering and all that he lost. It is a book of promise and hope.

Right at the beginning of Job’s story, we see that God is Sovereign. He is even Sovereign over all evil. Satan considers God his enemy and he tries to hinder God’s work in people, but Satan is limited by God’s power and can do only what he is permitted to do by a Sovereign God.

God limited Satan’s reach on Job. He could cause him to suffer, but he could not kill him.

We see in chapter 6 of Job that Job wanted to die. But God ignored his plea because He had bigger plans for Job. Like Job, when things get tough, we tend to want to give up. But that’s when we need to trust God even more. He is there for us in all times, good and bad, and He is Sovereign.

Even in his suffering and anger, Job did not turn away from God. Instead, he took his anger and frustration to God. We can do that too. God has big shoulders, and He tells us to cast our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7).

JESUS IS OUR INTERCESSOR

In Job 16:19 (ESV) we see Job say, Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high. At this point, Job had no clue of the truth of his words. Remember Job is in the Old Testament, the Tanakh. Jesus had yet to be born, suffer, and die for our sins, and rise from the dead. Yet Job knew his hope was in God. Job didn’t know, but Jesus was there in heaven, interceding on his behalf.

What an amazing thought—before we were even born, and to this day, Jesus has been in heaven interceding for us. What a promise. And this is in the Book of Job.

In Job 19:25-26 (ESV) Job says, For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh shall I see God. This was a prophetic statement by Job. He intuitively knew this eternal truth by the power of Holy Spirit.

HOPE REVEALED

The Book of Job may contain a lot of verses about suffering, but in truth, it’s a book about hope. The last part of Job says this 42:10 (ESV) And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

 If God did this for Job, just think about what He can do for you and me. (No, I’m not a Prosperity Gospel person. I don’t believe God will give me a Mercedes if I pray for one, but I know He will provide for all my needs, not necessarily my wants.)

Blessings, y’all!

Here is a prayer I wrote in this Bible at the end of the Book of Job. I pray it blesses you.

Father God, Abba,

May the one reading this see that we will have troubles in this world, but You, oh Father, are Sovereign.

Just as You knew our beginning you already know our end down to the second.

May we always put our faith and trust in You, no matter what this earthly life brings.

When we give our lives and our hearts to Christ, we are guaranteed eternal life.

Thank you, Abba, for the gifts of salvation, redemption, and restoration through the blood of Jesus.

Amen and Amen.

This is sublime. Beautiful voice! Another of the many solos I’ve sung in my blessed life. May the Words of God and the work of the hands and heart of Handel and the voice of this young lady bless you today. What a promise! What hope!