Suffering and Comfort

Inspired Bible Book: Job

Happy Thanksgiving! It is always a pleasure to talk to y’all again. I wanted to share what the Lord is teaching me right now. I learn a lot through service and small group but in my private time, the Lord teaches me lessons I can apply to my life and character. This is where God can mold me and I can listen to what he speaks.

Right now I am going through the bible chronologically. Reading the bible chronologically provides great context to the text. You gain a different view of the stories and a wider view of the gospel. It fills in all the gaps we may have in understanding God’s plan for mankind and reveals more about His character and who He is. So far Job has been a book that has seriously ministered to me because the Lord is teaching me about suffering and comfort. It has been hard to read this text because it forces me to ask myself hard questions but it has been a stretching experience.

Job is going through the worst time of his life and he sought his friends seeking wise counsel from them. Instead of using this time to comfort Job and ease his pain, they brought condemnation and accusations. While they thought they were doing a good thing, it brought more confusion and pain into an already tough situation. Bearing burdens is coming alongside someone and helping them in their time of need. This means having empathy, providing possible solutions, and prayerfully supporting them. I have been going through a season where the people around me need much support. This is not a focus on me but on how to be a good friend and comfort to those around me. However, this has brought me closer to the Holy Spirit and understanding His role as a comforter. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit as a comforter, counselor, and encourager. The Holy Spirit does more than make us feel happy when sad, He empowers and strengthens us. When tough times come the Holy Spirit points us back to God’s word and enables us to speak God’s truth. With the Holy Spirit, we have the strength to endure.

So far I have been learning about how to process while suffering. We can lament however, we have to understand the sovereignty of God and have a right view of Him. The moment our heart posture becomes prideful and accusatory, we sinned. As his suffering continued, Job was looking to justify himself and his righteousness instead of having a humble sense of who he was compared to who God is. He had a wrong view of God which led to God correcting him. Our righteousness and good works are filthy rags next to God’s holiness. We cannot have an attitude that desires to prove ourselves to God, because His holiness is a standard that we can never reach. When we suffer, we do not have to lean on our own understanding or strength. That is so encouraging! We have an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God who desires to help us and wants a relationship with us. He will help us and deliver us.

Overall, the Lord has been teaching me a lot about gratitude. There is always something going on in my life and I always have a lot on my plate but God is bigger than all of that. When I sit back and think about all He has saved me from and how He is still sanctifying me, I have to worship Him. So during these times when I do not know what to do, I can just worship God. My worship can be louder than my fear and worry. If I am solely focused on God and giving Him thanks, how could I go back to those anxious thoughts? I can hold on to truth and exalt God with my worship and gratitude through my suffering. The Holy Spirit is our comforter and Jesus is the Prince of peace.

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Helpful Links:

Only Jesus by Housefires - https://youtu.be/rmSEfgRWkcQ

Story I’ll Tell - https://youtu.be/zjY26wzFm2U

UTSA Chi Alpha - https://www.sachialpha.com/