Job: Lessons in Suffering and Comforting

Ray needed a man weekend, full of backpacking through the woods, body odor, “bacon jerky” (yes, that exists), and no estrogen. So while he was off trekking through the woods, I bought a bottle of my favorite wine, slept in until noon, and have yet to get out of my pajamas (don’t judge me).  This introvert needed a quiet, solitary place for a bit.

((In truth, the man weekend ended pretty abruptly due to weather and the hubs came back home this afternoon, promptly showered (thank you Jesus) and has fallen asleep, TV remote in hand, “watching” a college football game. ))

With slow mornings normally come solid quiet times and a completely finished cup of coffee. Somehow the coffee always gets poured but never consumed in the morning. I’ve been hanging out in Job and Luke lately, but mostly Job. I’ve read the story before and heard it multiple times, but I feel like God is blowing my mind this time around. Here’s why:

1.       Job is the best defense against the Prosperity Gospel I’ve ever encountered.

2.       God was not the source of Job’s suffering, but He did allow it for the sake of His glory. He did not do this maliciously but confidently – He knew Job’s heart and character. He bragged about his kid Job.

3.       God was ok with Job bringing his grief and complaint before Him. Job did this without ever blaming God.

4.       Job’s friends sucked at comforting because they spoke in their own wisdom. They stood in the way of God using them to comfort Job and became a source of grief for their friend.

5.       Job’s hope in the Lord never wavered because he trusted God’s character even when he didn’t have all the answers.

Why the Prosperity Gospel is No Gospel:

                 

The Bible clearly states that Job was a righteous and blameless man.  Just look at the way God viewed Job and spoke so highly of him (Job 1:8). Job was highly favored and esteemed, and he was loaded.  When Satan attacks Job’s character and taunts God’s glory, God gives Satan power over all that Job has except his person (1:9-12). When Job refuses to curse the Lord, God gives Satan power over Job’s person but not his life (2:6). God did not author Job’s suffering but He did permit it for the sake of His Glory and limit it in His sovereignty. ((I don’t believe God ever willed sin or suffering, but I do believe He wills freedom in relationships. Freedom in relationship only comes through choice, and in Genesis 3 man chose something other than God*. The natural consequence of that choice ushered in sin and opened the window for suffering.)) Job’s response to Satan’s attack was to fall down in worship and acknowledge God’s sovereign right to give and take away (1:20-21). In all of this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong (1:22; 2:10). Job never lost sight of the holiness of God in the midst of his suffering.

 At its core, the prosperity gospel says:  Doing good things/obedience brings physical wealth, comfort, health and prosperity. The logical converse of the prosperity gospel would then be: poverty, sickness and suffering must point to sin or disobedience.  This is what Job’s friends believed. They could not wrap their minds around a righteous person suffering. They could not wrap their minds around having a spiritual enemy.  So they blamed Job for his suffering – they assaulted his character, pleaded with him to repent of sin he never committed and shared all of their wisdom with Job uninvited. They became a source of grief for Job rather than a source of comfort. How often have we, as believers who make up the Church, responded in kind to those in the midst of great suffering?

How we respond to those who are suffering greatly reveals what we believe about God’s character and what we believe about the Gospel.  If we believe God’s favor towards us depends on our actions, if we believe in the Prosperity Gospel, those who are in the midst of suffering will find us a source of grief instead of a source of comfort. They will find in us nothing but criticism, confusion and hurt. If we believe that God’s favor towards us has been forever won on the cross of Christ, that He is constantly sovereign and loving, and that we live within the context of spiritual warfare then those who are in the midst of suffering will find in us a source of comfort, peace and strength.  

Vessels of Comfort

In order for others to find in us a source of comfort, we have to get out of the way and learn what it is to be a vessel of God’s presence and voice. I’m sure Job’s friends had the best intentions – they really wanted to “fix” Job’s suffering and argue him into repentance they thought would help – but they spoke from their own sources of wisdom, knowledge and experience.  Not once did they intercede on Job’s behalf before the Lord. Not once did they invite God to speak to Job through them.  They tried to be their own source of comfort.  Job’s response?  I also could speak as you do, if your soul were in my soul’s place. I could heap up words against you, and shake my head at you; BUT I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief. – Job 16:4-5 NKJV

I’m not going to lie; I think I’m a terrible comforter. I remember going over to a friend’s house in college. Her boyfriend had left for the summer and she was in tears – I mean, weeping because she missed him, long distance was difficult, etc. I felt like a deer in headlights… I didn’t have a boyfriend and I’m not a huge crier. He’s just gone for the summer, it’s not like he’s dead my bewildered brain thought, but you can’t say that to your sobbing friend. In fact, if someone ever said that to me I’d probably cry worse than she was. She leaned in for a hug; I’m not a hugger either. Hug her back, Alex! My brain cued my arms to wrap around her in an awkward hug. We probably spent the rest of the day watching chick flicks and binging on brownies… the cure to all girl problems, right?

Even though that’s a funny example, the truth is that I really don’t know what to do when someone is grieving or suffering. I don’t know what to say or how to act in a way that will ease their pain and not add to it. It’s easier to try to “fix it” with my own wisdom than it is to put my soul in their soul’s place and invite the Lord into that place with us. To sit quietly with them, standing in the gap for them, interceding on their behalf with the Father, and inviting Him to speak to them through me. To listen to them pour out their grief and complaints, knowing that God’s okay with them bringing that before Him, knowing that God is present and good even when everything around me screams lies that He’s absent and malicious or unfaithful. To commit to speak only what the Lord impresses on my heart to speak, and to shut up all that is not of Him because His words bring life, strength, peace and comfort in a way that mine never will or could. To usher peace into the situation, not through understanding the “why” but through inviting the presence of Holy God to dwell among us. After all, genuine peace is not found in knowledge but in the presence of Christ.

How differently would the situation with my friend have looked like if I had placed my soul in her soul’s place and invited God to speak through me? How different would my response have been if it had not been me speaking but Christ in me? Not me hugging but Christ in me embracing my dear friend? How much comfort could I have brought to the situation if I had asked the simple question, “Lord, is there anything you would like to say to her in this moment?” before I opened my big mouth?

At some point in our lives we have all experienced some form of grief or suffering, whether it was a consequence of a poor decision we made, abuse from someone else’s sinful choice, or something similar to Job’s story. Chances are we’ve probably encountered people like Job’s friends. I know I have, and I’ve honestly wanted to punch them in the face. Chances are we’ve also been like Job’s friends to someone else (ouch), I know I have unintentionally – saying those cliché things you think sound okay because you’re really at a loss for words. It’s okay to be at a loss for words… it’s actually a great opportunity to invite God to share His word through you.

Father,

Thank You for being the Author of Job’s story. Thank you for your sovereignty and faithfulness even in the midst of suffering and grief. Thank you for the hope that we have in the Gospel – the reality that You have indeed rescued us by Jesus’ death and resurrection into eternal life, relationship, with You. We confess our great need for You and invite you to fill us anew with Your Spirit, that we might be vessels of comfort for those who greatly need Your comfort. Fill us with wisdom that is from You, that is peaceable, gentle, and life-giving. Tune our hearts to the sound of Your voice, that we may be quick to listen, quick to invite You into our conversations, and slow to speak apart from Your leading. You are our Peace, and we are so grateful for Your love.

All of my love,

                -a

* Notes taken while listening to Bob Hamp and Alan Smith. Highly recommend checking out Foundations of Freedom at http://bobhamp.com/foundations-of-freedom/