“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:” (Job 23:8)
When suffering comes into our lives, we ask ourselves questions like: “Where is God in all of this?” “Why doesn’t God do something about it?” “Does He really care?” I am sure Job asked those questions, and more, when everything he had was taken away from him. Let’s learn some lessons about God, from the suffering of Job.
FIRST—God’s presence is not always evident.
Job was discouraged because he could not perceive God’s presence in his suffering. Job said in (v.3), “Oh that I knew where I might find him.” He felt he was all alone in his suffering. He said in Job 30:20, “I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.” It can be discouraging when we feel we are suffering alone, and God seems nowhere to be found.
SECOND—God is keenly aware of your suffering.
Even in the midst of it all Job recognized God was there all along. In (v.10) he said, “But he knoweth the way that I take…” Job said, “Even though I don’t know where God is, He knows exactly where I am and that is what’s important.”
THIRD—God is actively working on your behalf.
In (v.9) Job said God was working “On the left hand” and “on the right hand.” Then, he said in (v.10) “when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” He knew that his suffering was a trial sent by God. He did not understand everything God was doing, or even WHY God was doing it, but what helped him was to know God was doing SOMETHING!
God hasn’t forgotten about you. He knows what you are going through and He’s working in the midst of it. So, don’t give up. Don’t lose hope! God does care, and is working for your good and for His glory, if you will let Him.