JOB 3:1-10 – “After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job said: “Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said, ‘A man is conceived.’ Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, nor light shine upon it. Let gloom and deep darkness claim it. Let clouds dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. That night—let thick darkness seize it! Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months. Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful cry enter it. Let those curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up Leviathan. Let the stars of its dawn be dark; let it hope for light, but have none, nor see the eyelids of the morning, because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hide trouble from my eyes.”
THEME OF THE DAY: YES, IT EVEN HAPPENS TO CHRISTIANS. There are certain chapters in the Old Testament book of Job that are so vivid in describing this godly man’s suffering. Remember, we read the book. We know how the story ends. Job didn’t. He was a godly man who feared the Lord, ran from evil and raised his family for the Lord. He had no idea what was happening to him and was absolutely clueless about the cosmic warfare between the Lord and Satan with him being the object of the warfare. So, as we read about his suffering, remember this about him. Doing so makes it easy to weep with him, to want to come alongside him and place a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Today’s scripture is one of those dark chapters for Job. Make sure you read its entirety. There is so much more to observe of Job’s suffering. Things were so painful for him, and not just physically. He is emotionally despairing which would also extend to his spiritual life. He curses the day of his birth. He laments that he was even born. We can easily hear between the lines and through his groans, “Why did God let me live? Why was I even brought into this world? I wish my mother would never have given birth to me. Don’t let a single person rejoice that I was brought into this world. I don’t. It was a cursed day.”
Friends, this here is a man despairing of life itself. His pain is so great, rational thinking no longer exists. One can only imagine the fatigue he is feeling. Sleeplessness would be his nightly companion. He dreaded the night. And Job is not alone. We have a godly man in the New Testament who despaired of life itself too. In fact, this godly man is the greatest Christian ever to live. His name is the Apostle Paul, and this is how he described his condition – “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). So, what can we learn from Job and Paul? At least two lessons.
First, extreme suffering (emotional, spiritual or physical) is not a sign of God’s displeasure or sin. Don’t immediately think it is. In both Job and Paul, it was not and it may not be in us as well. God used suffering to teach them about His sufficient grace that would not be learned without the extreme suffering.
A second lesson is that extreme suffering will draw us into a much closer walk with the Lord that we would not know without it. Granted it doesn’t feel like it in the pain but watch and be alert to the nearness of the Lord in our suffering. It will be special, very special.
Great suffering, even depression. Yes, it even happens to Christians, and God will use it for our good. Trust Him.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to see that times of depression or discouragement are not wasted but rather times of teaching.
REFLECTION: Don’t waste seasons of spiritual darkness. They often offer great spiritual growth.