Read: Job 41-42
Today’s reading completes the book of Job. Looking back at chapter 40, God referred to Behemoth, and in chapter 41 He referred to Leviathan. There are a lot of different ideas about what exactly these were. Some people think they were real animals that still exist today, some think they were creatures that no longer exist, and others think they symbolized chaos, evil, or even Satan. There are honestly a lot of interesting viewpoints worth looking into, but the important part for today is what God is communicating through them.
God was reminding Job that human beings cannot even fully understand or control the things that He created, let alone fully understand Him and His ways. In Job 42, Job responded to the Lord with humility.
“Then Job replied to the Lord: ‘I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, “Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?” Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.’” -Job 42:1-2
Job realized that he could not fully understand God or His ways. He recognized that God is sovereign, powerful, and far beyond human understanding. Later, Job repented, and we can see his heart shift from questioning God to humbling himself before Him.
Then in the epilogue:
“After Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.” -Job Epilogue:10
I think this is such an important reminder that when we go through hardships and suffering, God is asking us to trust Him through it. Job’s suffering was not caused by God. It was caused by Satan in a world where sin is very real. But even in that suffering, God never abandoned Job.
Sometimes when we are hurting, we spend so much time questioning God that we forget to invite Him into the hurt with us. Job cried out to God during his suffering, but there were moments where he was so focused on the pain and confusion that he could not fully see what God was doing. Honestly, we do the same thing.
Both of my kids are currently sick, but with two completely different things going on. Prayers are appreciated! My three-year-old understands that he doesn’t feel good. He knows he’s coughing and miserable and uncomfortable, but he does not fully hear us when we are trying to help him. My husband moved the humidifier closer to him last night, we were giving him water, helping him blow his nose, comforting him, helping him cough mucus up, and trying to soothe him through it. But all he could focus on was the fact that he felt bad.
Another example was last week he had a splinter in the bottom of his foot. It was hurting him to walk, but he was absolutely terrified of me trying to remove it. The second I grabbed the tweezers he was practically hyperventilating and hysterical before I had even touched him. I kept trying to explain that I was helping him, mommy would be gentle, that this would be quick, and that he would feel so much better afterward, but all he could focus on was the fear that it might hurt. The splinter was the problem. Not me. But in his mind, because I was touching the painful area, it felt like I was causing the pain instead of helping remove what was hurting him.
That situation is giving me a different perspective on our relationship with God. Sometimes we are so focused on our hurt that we cannot see God trying to walk us through it. We panic. We resist. We question Him. We focus so much on the pain that we stop trusting the One trying to help us through it.
God never promises that we will not experience suffering in this world, but He does promise to be with us in it. Sometimes healing still involves tenderness afterward. Sometimes the area still feels sensitive for a while. But God sees the full picture when we only see the moments that we are currently hurting in. Just like my three-year-old eventually realized the splinter coming out was not nearly as terrible as he imagined, sometimes we look back later and realize that God was carrying us through the whole thing the entire time.
Discussion Questions
- Do you tend to trust God quickly during hardships, or question Him first?
- In what ways have you experienced God caring for you lately?
- Have you ever looked back on a painful season and realized God was helping you through it all along?
- What “ailment” in your life are you resisting letting God touch or help right now?
- How can you invite God into your suffering instead of shutting Him out of it?
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A Note from the Author
Hello everyone,
I wanted to take a moment to share a bit about the Bible verse studies, devotionals, and prayers that I put together. While I strive to offer meaningful insights and reflections, it’s important to clarify that I am not a trained or licensed biblical professional. My goal is not to provide expert theological advice but to share my personal knowledge, beliefs, and experiences as I read and reflect on the Holy Bible.
The insights I offer come from my own understanding and spiritual journey. I approach these reflections with the intention of sharing what personally resonates with me, what I’ve learned through my own study of Scripture, and what the Holy Spirit is sharing through me. I hope these thoughts are helpful and encouraging, but they are based on my personal perspective rather than formal theological training.
This specific Bible study is based off the book A Beautiful Year in the Bible The 52-Week Bible Study for Women by a series of wonderful authors Copyrighted by Alabaster Creative Inc. I do not own the rights to this book and am not claiming to. I am using the book to create my own version of the Bible in 365 days and continue to direct God’s word towards women, more specifically mothers.
Thank you for your understanding and for joining me in this journey of faith and reflection.
Blessings,
Maria Wilcoxon
*The header image is not mine and was taken from Pinterest*
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