Gift of God Devotional

“I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.” (Job 3:26 NIV)

Do you ever feel as if you’re going through such a hard season in life that you can’t catch a break? It’s just one thing after… you go to the ER; you have a fight with your significant other; your car breaks down; you have bills due and not enough money; you get sick and feel like absolute crap; you contemplate whether or not it’s worth it to even go on living… Have you ever had a week like that?

A friend of mine said something like this about Job the other day: “I don’t think I can ever compare myself to Job and his complete loss of everything as a trial by the devil, but I can definitely relate to the struggles.” There’s a LOT of struggle in Job. He loses all of his belongings and even his children. His own wife is against him. His terrible health is keeping him barely alive. His friends at first try to console him but then argue against him. And all through this, even as he begs God for answers and God stays silent, even as he begs God to let him die and God keeps him alive, even as he laments and curses the very day he was born, Job stays faithful to God.

Job 2:9-10 depicts a dialogue – really, an argument – between Job and his wife. His wife questions why Job would bother to maintain his integrity and faithfulness amidst all of this suffering. Job responds with this: “‘You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?’ In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” (Job‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Are you maintaining your integrity even in the midst of suffering? Do you accept good from God, but not trouble? How can you praise God in the midst of your pain and turmoil?

Through the book of Job, there are some things we would not think to hear from a Christian. Phrases like “I despise my life” and “cut off my life” (Job 7:16; 6:9) are things that would get you ridiculed and judged in most churches. And how do we begin to mention the phrases addressing God? (See Job 10:3,18 and 16:7-9 to name a few)

Have you ever cried out to God in anguish, questioning why some people suffer and some are blessed? Have you ever questioned why God allows bad things to happen to the faithful while the unfaithful in the world are seemingly in bliss? Lastly, the whole premise of this upcoming short series: have you ever prayed to God and wished for death?

Over the next few posts, I’m going to dive into a short series: Those Who Wish to Die. I am going to look at four individuals in the Bible who literally ask God to kill them: Job, Elijah, Moses, and Jonah. This post is an overview of this topic and an introduction to Job, and I encourage you to read through the book of Job over the next few weeks. This book isn’t just for those who are suffering, but for everyone. Patricia Cameron, in her book Ever Present, says these words: “Life is hard. Difficult times happen. Pain will come. When it does, do we turn to God or from Him?” Over the next few posts, I will talk about these men who wished for death and their different situations, as well as the different answers and resolutions God gave them. In the meantime, how can I be praying for you? And if you need immediate help, please do not hesitate to seek it! YOU MATTER! I need those words just as much as anyone!