In Night, the seminal autobiographical novel about his experience in Nazi concentration camps, writer Elie Wiesel says this: “Some of the men spoke of God: His mysterious ways, the sins of the Jewish people, and the redemption to come. As for me, I had ceased to pray. I concurred with Job! I was not denying His existence, but I doubted His absolute justice.”
Because it deeply resonated with his own experiences with tragedy and suffering, Wiesel publicly lectured on the book of Job throughout his career as a professor and Nobel Prize-winning author.
As I was researching Wiesel’s work on Job, I remembered reading Night in middle school. Then, I had a second thought, one that made my stomach drop and my eyes flood with tears. I realized that one day, my daughter is going to read Night. One day, she is going to find out about the Holocaust. She’ll read about about slavery and Jim Crow and 9/11. She’ll find out about war, famine, genocide, opioid overdoses, and school shootings. One day, she will learn about suffering. And even harder still to imagine, one day, she herself will suffer.
Where will God be when she learns about these things? And can I trust Him not only with my own suffering, but with my precious baby girl’s?
When my heart wavers and falters on the edge of faith, brought on by suffering and fear, I know I cannot stand on my own feelings. I must stand in faith, which is a gift of the Spirit, and I must pray unceasingly for Him to strengthen it. I must stand on the unwavering, infallible Word of God. Here is what it teaches me:
1) God is just and good. He controls the wind and waves, the leviathan and behemoth, and every living creature.
2) His Son Jesus, who is God incarnate, knew suffering here on earth, just as we do. But the suffering He endured was infinitely greater than anything we might bear, as He took on the weight of the world’s sins.
Suffering belongs to all of us, through all time. One of the gifts that comes with reading Job through the lens of the New Testament is knowing that his story of suffering is our story and that Jesus came to secure true righteousness for all who believe in Him.
God’s justice is absolute. In the depths of suffering, it is no wonder we question it. God speaks to Job, “Would you really challenge my justice? Would you declare me guilty to justify yourself?” (Job 40:8). Would we?
We can trust God with our suffering because He is the Creator and King of everything. But we can also trust God with our suffering because Jesus suffered, bearing all of our sorrows to the cross.
He himself bore our sicknesses,
and he carried our pains;
but we in turn regarded him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced because of our rebellion,
crushed because of our iniquities;
punishment for our peace was on him,
and we are healed by his wounds (Isaiah 53:4–5).
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42 thoughts on "God’s Second Speech"
It hit me hard to think of kids’ suffering…my daughter is 3 and learning to read. She was reading this with me, and tears came to my eyes. It is hard to picture her or my 6 month old son hurting over something. I don’t want to even imagine. But Jesus loves them more than I do… He has them and won’t ever let them go. He will protect & avenge them, and I do not need to fear. His justice is perfect. For this I’m thankful!
Tricia, Thinking and praying for you yesterday, today… May our God be with you and your family.
This was needed reading for me; struggling and yes, worrying unfortunately as my Mom has been very ill, is recovering and will likely go home from rehab in a week or two. Is that the right thing? What if she falls, gets sick, isn’t safe, someone breaks in the house…the list goes on and on. Am I doing right by my mom? I don’t know why God isn’t lowering signs down on s string so I know if assisted living is best and which one and will she have enough money…..but today I read that which I already knew….I’m not in charge, and thankfully so and I need to get back to the business of faith not fear, belief instead of bawling my eyes out
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Angie thank you for your comment…the thought “He loves me enough to respond at all” brought me to tears. So true,so real. We get caught up in ourselves. Thank you Jesus for loving me even though I don’t truly understand your love.
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God repeatedly asks Job “Can you…” and “Who can…” The answer to both is obvious. Job is out of his league on both counts. Recognizing and accepting the sovereignty of God in the midst of suffering is no small thing and yet it is the wisest, most helpful thing to do. God’s character is inseparable from His sovereignty – so we know that all He does and all He permits emanates from His goodness, His justice, His love. That gives us comfort. We may not understand but we can persevere. He sees. He cares. He holds. He will work it all out. God begets good.
If I am honest, when I suffer, I do not want God to come and tell me about how He is in charge of the weather or even about massive, powerful animals He has created and commands, I want Him to fix things for me. Now. Or at least sooner than later. I don’t want to suffer.
Maybe God’s response isn’t about being in charge of the weather, or big, scary animals, maybe it is about the fact that though He is in charge of them, He loves me enough to respond at all.
When the disciples woke him during the storm, He immediately calmed the sea. But, then came the penetrating questions, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” And, those are the questions for me also. Why am I afraid? Sunshine or rain, hippopotamus or dragon-like sea monster, God is God. He is faithful. Do I still have no faith?
It is a choice. Praise God, it is a choice. We can trust Him. He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, pure and holy, to die on Calvary’s cross, for my sin. For your sin. When we choose God we are covered in the forgiving, redemptive blood of Jesus. His righteousness alone covers us. We are His. We have a choice first for a redeemed relationship with the Father, and then moment by moment to trust Him. In His strength and power alone I can, I will, trust Him.
Amen. Selah
Wonderful insight this morning!
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So good!
He is not finished with me yet.
Thank you, Father, that You shower me with new mercies every morning and that You see that like Job, I think, and act and speak like I know more than you when I attempt to justify my thoughts, words, and deeds. But just as you reveal my sin to me and I start to eat myself up for failing again, Lord, You remind me of your great love and forgiveness. You remind me that you will still do a good work in me. You bless me beyond measure! Amen