Suffering 101 – Lessons from Job

Why do innocent people suffer? It is one of the oldest and most painful questions in human history. The book of Job takes that question seriously and leads us somewhere unexpected. This is not a story about getting answers. It is a story about encountering God in the middle of the worst moments of your life. Job was a man of complete integrity. He feared God, avoided evil, and built his entire life around faithfulness. He had ten children, enormous wealth, and a reputation as the greatest man in the East. And then, in a single day, he lost everything. His livestock, his servants, and all ten of his children were gone. Shortly after, his health collapsed. He sat in an ash heap, scraping painful sores from his body, while his wife told him to curse God and die. He refused. Behind the scenes, God had permitted Satan to test Job. Job knew none of this. He had no explanation, no warning, and no comfort beyond his own understanding of who God is. His response was to worship. His three fr...