Suffering: A Study in JobSample

What does it say?

Job declared that his spirit was broken because of all he had lost. Job cried out to God for relief and expressed that his only hope was the grave.

What does it mean?

God had allowed Satan to take everything and everyone away from Job. All he had left was his physical existence, which was miserable and seemed to be coming to an end. Still, Job held strongly to his innocence and poured out his heart to God. The decimation of his plans for the future caused Job to be completely broken as he sank into depression. With every dream shattered, he saw no hope but to accept whatever future God had for him, even if it meant a lonely grave.

How should I respond?

Life seldom turns out the way you think it will. We tend to cling to our own plans until we reach the end of our rope. God, however, is in the business of using broken people unconditionally surrendered to Him. Trading our own ideas for the unknown can seem terrifying when life throws us a curve ball. Surrender requires faith that God can make something good out of our shattered dreams. What future plans do you need to release to the Lord? As followers of Jesus, He alone is our hope. Are you willing to surrender to God in the same way that Jesus said, “Not my will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42)?