Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. (Job 42:1-3 NLT)

People have read Job for centuries and have pondered about their own suffering.  We can only understand our pain and anguish like Job did, through humility and repentance.

In Chapter 40 God asks Job a question. "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?”  Then Job answers contritely, “I am nothing---how could I ever find answers?  I will put my hand over my mouth in silence.”  Sometimes we have to quit talking before we can hear from God.  Humility always precedes finding wisdom. 

God proceeds in this chapter and following to ask Job sixty-six questions, none of which he can answer.  Talk about bombing an exam.  The Lord was telling Job that he was God and Job wasn’t.  There is a great line in the movie “Rudy” by an old Catholic Priest, who said, “In thirty-five years of ministry there is one thing I have learned for sure.  There is a God, and I’m not him.”  Humility is just a proper view of who we are in relation to who God is.  Pride confuses the role of the creature and the Creator.

Suffering can make us bitter or better.  Life is complex, it is more than a cause and effect relationship. Job did not suffer because of his sin, nor was he blessed later due to his righteousness?  Humility and repentance can make us look upon our blessings as a gift rather than an entitlement, which none of us deserve.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission.  My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine.  I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University.  [email protected]