Deeper Life #218

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

—Job 1:8

THE AWFUL PROBLEM OF SUFFERING appears often in the Scriptures and in our own lives. There remains a mystery, though, about suffering.

After the noisy clamor of the novice in suffering and the weighty words of the veteran in suffering, after the sarcasm and cynicism and bitterness of those in pain, after the slander of Satan against God, the voice of the Spirit sounds clear, “Hast thou considered my servant Job?” (Job 2:3).

Perhaps a person’s ability to explain suffering is the clearest indication of never having suffered. Sin, suffering, and sanctification are not problems of the mind, but facts of life—mysteries that awaken all other mysteries, till the heart and life rest in God and, waiting patiently, know that “He doeth all things well.”

Oh, the unspeakable comfort of knowing “God reigns,” that God is “our Father,” and that “the clouds are the dust of his feet.”

Prayer Thought: When I do not understand why I must suffer, help me to trust in Your tender care and love.

SUGGESTED READING: Job 1:1–12