Lesson 5: Your Suffering is Guided by God’s Wisdom (Job 1:13-22).

Prayer

Reading

Job 1:19-21.

Meditation

Our suffering is directed primarily by wisdom, not justice. That is ultimately true for believers, because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). It is true, that there is a connection between suffering and discipline for us, and – for that reason – God’s justice is at work. But discipline is not the only reason we may be suffering. It may be that God brings suffering to us to teach us something, to cause us to grow, or to glorify himself in some other way. Jesus warned the lame man at the pool of Bethesda after he healed him, “Go and sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” Wisdom is required to prayerfully and humbly respond to our suffering.

When we suffer, we do need to consider whether there is some unrepented sin in our lives. However, it may also be that we suffer though innocent. That’s a key movement in Job. Chapter 1 takes great care to make sure that we see Job’s innocence. In fact, the key argument of Job’s three friends is that they think he’s guilty. They keep telling him that he’s suffering because he’s guilty of sin. It’s simply not true. Job is innocent.

So... your suffering might be discipline—or it might not. Prayerfully consider either way, but remember above all that your suffering as a child of God is ultimately governed and directed by his wisdom. Chapter one makes it clear that God is not punishing Job. He is rather permitting suffering according to the wisdom of his own counsel.

Be ye doers of the word...

So then, when you suffer, remember this: It doesn’t matter what form the suffering takes, one thing is always true—the suffering is directly guided by God’s wisdom. Whatever the reason may be for your suffering – be it discipline, or growth, or something else – the one factor that is always present is the wisdom of God. Is that not an encouragement?

Every single ounce of pain that you have ever experienced was divinely appointed, sovereignly chosen, and infallibly guided by the unfathomable and perfect wisdom of God. Your suffering is perfectly balanced in the great plan of God. Your suffering is perfectly directed by God, perfectly designed to effect his will. It is perfectly balanced to accomplish exactly what he wants. Your suffering is not meaningless. It is not pointless. And it is not ultimately a product of Satan’s hatred, but rather, ultimately directed, permitted, and designed by God’s love and care. SDG.

Prayer of Confession & Consecration

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