When Life’s Hardknocks Leave You Stuck in a Rut & Days Are Dark

Bad Things Can Happen to Good People

When days are dark, it means that we are facing trials and tribulations that test our faith and endurance to their limits. As Christians, we are not immune to the hardships, trials, and tribulations of life,  but we have a hope and a promise that God will never leave us nor forsake us. He is our refuge and strength, our very present help in trouble.

 

How do we cope when days are dark? How do we respond to the challenges and difficulties that come our way? And how do others around us react to our situation? Do they offer comfort and support, or do they add to our misery and pain?

 The Story of Job

One of the most remarkable stories in the bible that illustrates the different reactions to suffering is the story of Job. It is a story that is both challenging and comforting. Job was a righteous man who feared God and shunned evil. He had a large family, great wealth, and many servants. He was blessed by God in every way. One day, Satan challenged God and said that Job only loved God because of his blessings and that if God took away everything he had, Job would curse God to his face. God allowed Satan to test Job, but with one condition: he could not harm Job's life.

 

Satan unleashed a series of calamities on Job: he lost his livestock, his servants, his children, and his health. He was left with nothing but his wife and his own skin, which was covered with painful boils. Job sat on a heap of ashes, scraping himself with a piece of pottery. Remember, “…your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8 KJV) and he is an accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10).

 

How did Job react to his situation? Did he curse God as Satan expected? No, he did not. He said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." (Job 1:21) He also said: "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10) Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

The Reaction of Family & Friends 

What about his wife? How did she react to her husband's suffering? She said to him: "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9) She was bitter and angry at God for allowing such tragedy to befall them. She wanted Job to give up on his faith and end his misery.

 

What about his friends? How did they react to Job's plight? Job had three friends who came to visit him: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. They heard about his troubles and came to sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him. They wept aloud, tore their robes, and sprinkled dust on their heads. They sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him because they saw how great his suffering was.

 

After seven days, Job broke the silence and cursed the day of his birth. He wished he had never been born, or that he had died at birth. He questioned why God gave life to those who long for death. Then his friends began to speak. They tried to explain why Job was suffering so much. They assumed that he must have done something wrong to deserve such punishment from God. They accused him of being wicked, hypocritical, foolish, and rebellious. They urged him to repent of his sins and seek God's mercy.

 

Job defended himself against their accusations. He maintained his innocence and integrity. He said that he had not sinned against God or man. He said that he had always been faithful, righteous, just, generous, compassionate, and godly. He challenged his friends to show him where he had gone wrong. He also complained to God about his situation. He asked God why he was suffering so much when he had done nothing wrong. He pleaded with God to answer him and show him what charges he had against him. He argued that God was unjust and cruel in afflicting him without cause.

 

God did not answer Job's complaints right away. Instead, another person joined the conversation: a young man named Elihu. Elihu had been listening to Job and his friends for a long time, but he had not spoken because he was younger than them. But when he saw that they had no answer for Job, he became angry at them for condemning Job without reason, and at Job for justifying himself rather than God.

 The Youngest Spoke Words of Wisdom

Elihu spoke up and rebuked both Job and his friends. He said that they were all wrong in their views of God and suffering. He said that God is not unjust or cruel, but sovereign and wise. He said that God does not punish the righteous or reward the wicked according to their deeds, but according to his own purposes and plans. He said that God uses suffering as a way of teaching, correcting, refining, testing, humbling, and disciplining his people. He said that God is not silent or indifferent, but speaks through various ways, such as dreams, visions, nature, and events. He said that God is not obligated to answer anyone's questions or complaints, but he is gracious and compassionate to those who humble themselves and seek him.

 

Elihu's speech prepared the way for God to speak to Job. God finally answered Job out of a storm. He did not explain why Job was suffering, nor did he address Job's accusations. Instead, he asked Job a series of questions that revealed his power, wisdom, and majesty in creating and sustaining the universe. He challenged Job to answer him if he could.

 

Job realized that he had spoken out of ignorance and arrogance. He admitted that he had no right to question God or demand an explanation from him. He said: "I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?' Surely, I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:2-6)

 How Did it End For Job?

God accepted Job's repentance and restored his favor to him. He also rebuked Job's friends for speaking falsely about him. He told them to offer a sacrifice and ask Job to pray for them, otherwise he would deal with them according to their folly. They did as God commanded, and Job prayed for them.

 

Then God blessed Job more than before. He gave him twice as much as he had before. He gave him seven sons and three daughters. He gave him a long life of 140 years. He saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. Job died, old and full of years.

 

What can we learn from this story? We can learn that suffering is not always a result of sin or a sign of God's displeasure. Sometimes it is a test of our faith and loyalty to God. We can learn that God is sovereign and wise in allowing suffering in our lives. He has a purpose and a plan that we may not understand or see at the moment, but we can trust that he will work all things for our good and his glory. We can learn that God is not silent or distant in our suffering. He speaks to us through his word, his creation, his Spirit, and his people. He is with us and for us in our troubles. We can learn that God is gracious and compassionate in our suffering. He does not treat us as our sins deserve, but he forgives us when we repent and restores us when we humble ourselves. He gives us more than we need or deserve. It is not easy to understand or accept suffering when we are going through it, however.

 

We can also learn how to react to others who are suffering. We can learn not to judge them or accuse them of wrongdoing without knowing their situation or their heart. We can learn not to offer shallow or false comfort or advice that does not help or heal. We can learn to sympathize with them and mourn with them in their pain. We can learn to speak the truth in love and point them to God's character and promises. We can learn to pray for them and intercede for them before God. We can be discerning, knowing when we should be silent but supportive. We can offer support without giving our analysis and instructions regarding the situation.

 

When days are dark, let us remember the story of Job and how God dealt with him and his friends. Let us hold on to our faith and hope in God who is faithful and good. Let us seek his face and his grace in our time of need. Keep holding on my friend.