The Suffering Song

OT: Job 3-8
NT: James 1

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Job 3:20-24 — Why is light given to one in misery / and life to the bitter in soul / who long for death, but it does not come / and dig for it more than for hidden treasures / who rejoice exceedingly / and are glad when they find the grave? / Why is light given to one who cannot see the way / whom God has fenced in? / For my sighing comes like my bread / and my groanings are poured out like water.

Have you ever wondered why many who suffer in life cannot seem to dig themselves out of their misery? They pray and pray, scrape and scrape, and yet they stay in misery. I know the situation very well. Been there, prayed that. Yet I stayed in my situation. No matter how much I cried out to the Lord, He seemed not to care. Job thought the same thing, times 10.

The Lord's ways are mysteries to us. He is the sovereign God of the universe whose smallest thoughts are deeper than our greatest notions. He cares for His children yet He sometimes allows us to suffer on this planet. Why? It has nothing to do with His love for us. He loves us as a father. One answer the Scriptures give is that we often find ourselves in trials and tribulations so that our faith in God's provision may be strengthened and our deliverance may be claimed by the Lord and not ourselves. In both cases, we eventually find ourselves safe in the hands of our Savior.

Be God's.