Read: Job 5:8-27
[Eliphaz said,] “As for me, I would seek God.” (v. 8)
During the involuntary hospitalization that followed one of my suicide attempts, I read the book of Job over a dozen times. I spent hours sitting with it in God’s presence, simultaneously suffering and healing from emotional pain. I discovered that the book of Job is mainly about God. And I learned that my suffering—my pain and misery—is largely about God too.
When prolonged, unexplainable suffering smacks you in the face and you’re tempted to give up, trust God. It’s true—suffering tests your faith in God. It reveals the quality of your faith. It deepens your faith. But when you’re suffering, your relationship with God is your greatest refuge. Seek his presence (v. 8). We can only get to Easter through Good Friday. We can only experience God’s strength through our weakness. Still, we have to make the choice to trust in God’s perfect love and seek his presence in the midst of our pain.
During his horrific suffering, Job’s faith was severely tested. Job wavered at times spiritually, but he endured the test of faith because he sought God and trusted in him even when life made no sense. Sometimes you simply have to say: “God, I’m putting my life in your hands. I’ve done everything I know to do. You take control.” And, like Job, you’ll learn the hard lesson that when everything is stripped away from your life, all you have is God and he is enough.
As you pray, ask how you can sit with God in your suffering.
Ariana D. Den Bleyker is a Pittsburgh native currently residing in New York’s Hudson Valley. She is the author of two devotional poetry collections,To Be Held by the LightandWaking in the Light. She is an ordained deacon in the Reformed Church of America.
