Suffering

Usually, when the book of Job is referenced, the speaker or author refers to the sufferings that Job endured and how we should respond to suffering. God knew Job was solid, so when Satan wanted to “try God,” God gave Job a “letter of recommendation.”

As I continued my background study, I read this statement: “The Book of Job is not mainly about one man’s suffering and pain; Job’s problem is not so much financial, social, or medical; his central problem is theological.” “Theological?” I asked myself. The commentary went on to say, “Job must deal with the fact that in this life, God does not act the way he always thought God would and should act.” At this point, I stopped and could not continue because this statement was a revelation. This statement is the basis of faithless humans. The statement concluded with, “it is more a revelation of Job’s experience and answers carried within his experience.”

Ok, so why did that statement cause me to pause? “Job must deal with the fact that in this life, God does not act the way he always thought God would and should act.” Let me give you a little background information.

I grew up in the church. My parents were Baptist, my dad being a deacon and my mother a member of the choir, along with several other ministries she served in. My grandmother was Pentecostal, attending church for some reason every day of the week. She served in many…