Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said:
“May the day of my birth perish,
and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’
That day—may it turn to darkness;
may God above not care about it;
may no light shine on it.
May gloom and utter darkness claim it once more;
may a cloud settle over it;
may blackness overwhelm it.
…Why did I not perish at birth,
and die as I came from the womb?
…I have no peace, no quietness;
I have no rest, but only turmoil.”
– Job 3:1-5, 11, 26
Devotion
Silent sympathy gives hurting people the opportunity to express their grief. Job’s outcry was undoubtedly inspired by the sympathy shown by his friends. In Job’s lamentation, we see a desperate cry for escape. He wishes he had never been born and he shares his emotions with raw honesty as he speaks from his heart. The pain is real and he just wants it to stop. He is not yet ready to hear God speak in the midst of his pain and suffering. That time will come later as he goes through the various stages of grief. At this time, he is left to wrestle with his feelings of anger, injustice and depression while questioning the mystery of suffering. In time, God will reveal Himself to Job and vindicate Job’s character to his friends.
The Big Question
Have you ever experienced the kind of pain and suffering that Job experienced? Can you relate to Job’s desperate cry for escape? Maybe you are going through a similar experience today! How can you look through the mystery of suffering to discover the face of your heavenly Father? How might God use your experience to reveal Himself and transform you into a new creation?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence reflecting on what you have learned.