Trusting God in Suffering: Three Truths from the Book of Job

By James Williams

We all love to hear about a good miracle. We love to read the Gospels and see all the times Jesus healed the blind man, caused the lame to walk, or raised the dead little girl back to life. Seeing God work in such ways is encouraging, and we pray that He would continue to act in power in our own day. But what about the times He doesn’t heal? What about the times when our prayers seem unanswered, and God seems cold and distant? Are we to conclude that if God is good and sovereign, He must end our suffering? In other words, if there’s suffering in the world, are we left to assume that God is either not good (He can stop it but won’t) or He’s not sovereign (He wants to stop it, but He can’t)?

In the book of Job, we see that God is good, He is sovereign even over Satan, and yet there is still suffering in the world. In essence, we will suffer, and we may not understand the reason behind our suffering. Even in our suffering, God can be trusted because of who He is. While God’s goodness and sovereignty regarding suffering is a big topic, for today, I simply want to point out three truths we learn in the book of Job.

We Will Suffer

Some churches teach that following Jesus means He will take away all our suffering. However, Scripture never promises that Jesus will take away all our pain while we remain on this earth. We may not get what we want, regardless of how much faith we have. Some diseases won’t be healed. Not all bank accounts will grow large. The test results won’t always be what we like. We may have thorns that are never removed.

What Scripture teaches is that oftentimes we will suffer because we are believers. Jesus told us to expect persecution if we follow Him (Matt. 24:9). We are told the world will hate us (John 15:18–19). Scripture also reminds us that suffering is part of life in a fallen world. Because creation itself has been affected by sin, the whole world groans under its weight as it awaits the final redemption that Christ will bring (Rom. 8:20–23). Until that day comes, believers and unbelievers alike will experience pain, loss, sickness, and hardship.

Here, we see that Job was singled out not because he was living a life of debauchery but because he was serving the Lord like no one else on earth. From the very beginning of the book, we are told Job “was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). Even the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (Job 1:8). That’s pretty high praise from the Lord, who sees every thought and intent of the heart. Yet we see that living for the Lord in this way didn’t keep suffering from Job’s life.

Suffering is a part of life. We live in a fallen world, and life will not be easy until the Lord makes all things new. Knowing this is true doesn’t make suffering easier, but perhaps it keeps us from a false faith that wavers under life’s difficulties. Perhaps this truth will remind us that this world is not our home, and we long to be in a place without suffering. Oh, how we long for that day!

We May Not Understand Our Suffering

In the midst of suffering, there are times when we can see clearly how God is working in us and through us. Other times we may not see it until years later, but we can look back and see how the Lord used our suffering for His glory. But there are also times when we may never know why there was a certain trial in our life.

Job’s friends thought they knew. Their flawed theology assumed that suffering must always be the result of hidden sin. For them, it was simple: if you act right, then there will be no major suffering, so if you are suffering, you must be in sin. While Job never claimed perfection, he adamantly defended himself against these accusations. Later, the Lord rebuked Job’s friends for their words.

The book of Job teaches us that one following the Lord may go through a difficult time. Is it possible to go through difficulty as a consequence of sin? Absolutely, we can make foolish decisions that lead to hardship. Does that mean that every difficult situation is because of our sin or something we can explain? No.

So, what are we to do if we don’t have the answers?

We Can Trust God Even When We Don’t Understand Our Suffering

God never explained the reason for Job’s suffering. He didn’t put the blame on Satan. He never gave him answers to the “why” question. What did God say? Beginning in chapter 38, God reminds Job of His power.

Why is God asking Job these things? He reminds Job that He is the Creator and Job is the creature. He is showing Job how little he is and reminding us that we are not God, and we see and know very little. He shows us that He can be trusted because of His great power, wisdom, and love. We might not understand why God does what He does, and we might also not understand why certain trials are happening in our lives. But whether or not we understand, we trust. We trust the One who truly knows and understands. We trust that He is good. We trust that He’s working out His plan. And while we trust, we worship and obey.

If you’re currently in the midst of suffering, I can’t give you a few words that will simply take the pain away. But I can encourage you to look to the God who knows and sees all. Call out to Him. Share your pain with Him. Get support from brothers and sisters in the faith whom He has placed in your life in your local church.

You may not understand your suffering, but look to the One who laid the foundations of the earth. The God who governs the seas, who watches over the creatures of the field, and who knows when the mountain goats give birth also knows what you are going through. Do not lose heart, fellow saint. The God who laid the foundations of the earth sees every tear, knows every burden, and will one day make all things new. Remember that our Father is good and faithful.

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