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Reflections Podcast
Reflections Podcast
Reflections • Episode 21
How God Replies to Job’s Suffering
15m • May 12, 2021

What do we need to remember in the midst of our suffering?

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Today we open the book of Job, a complex story about a good man who suffered the cosmic loss of everything. What did God want Job to know in the midst of his suffering? And what do we need to know in our own suffering? In this episode, we remember that we're not alone in hardship and that God is trustworthy. Even when the pain is so intense that we can barely see beyond it, God is at work limiting chaos and giving life.

Bible Reading Job 38:1-18

Reflection Questions

  1. What is one area of suffering in your life or in the world? Take some time now to tell God how you feel about it. He hears you.
  2. Ask God for more understanding. How might he be working to limit the chaos in that painful situation? What comes to mind as you listen for his wisdom?
  3. How might God be laboring to give life even in the midst of suffering? If you can't see any signs of life yet, keep watching. God doesn't let pain have the final word against his people.

Show Credits

Host: Cheree Hayes Message: Dr. Carissa Quinn Production and Bible Reading: Dan Gummel Theme music: Grant William Harold Background Music: Sean Williams, Fortitude

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2 Chronicles 36:22-23  –  13m
Looking Back to Look Forward
13m
Malachi 3:16-4:6  –  13m
Treasured by God
13m
Daniel 7:9-14  –  13m
There’s Hope in the Nightmare
13m
Esther 4:1-17  –  16m
Who Does God Choose to Work Through?
16m
Ezra 4:1-3, Isaiah 56:3-8  –  15m
Is God Inclusive?
15m
Ezekiel 36:22-36  –  14m
Promise for New Hearts
14m
Lamentations 3:19-33  –  14m
Learning How to Grieve from Lamentations
14m
Jeremiah 4:16-28, 1 Thessalonians 5  –  15m
The Deep Anguish of God
15m
Song of Songs 8:6-7  –  15m
Wisdom from Sensual Love Poetry?
15m
Ecclesiastes 4:4-12  –  15m
One Handful of Rest
15m
Isaiah 42:1-16  –  14m
Power of Metaphor
14m
Proverbs 1:1-7  –  13m
How to Live Wisely
13m
Job 38:1-18, Job 42:1-6  –  15m
How God Replies to Job’s Suffering
15m
Jonah 4:1-11, Exodus 34:5-9, 1 Kings 19:3-5  –  14m
God’s Mercy on Our Enemy
14m
Hosea 14:1-9  –  14m
What God Wants From Us
14m
Isaiah 61  –  12m
What Good News Looks Like
12m
1 John 1  –  12m
Message of the Prophets
12m
2 Kings 25  –  14m
What God Does About Suffering
14m
1 Kings 6  –  14m
Redeeming Disappointment
14m
2 Samuel 7  –  14m
Faithful Through Failure
14m
1 Samuel 2  –  13m
When You Feel Powerless
13m
Ruth 2  –  12m
How God Treats His Enemies
12m
Judges‬ 2  –  12m
When We Walk Out on God
12m
14m
Deuteronomy 30  –  11m
Understanding Ancient Law
11m
Deuteronomy 4  –  12m
God's Wisdom on Display
12m
Numbers 13  –  11m
Trusting God in the Wilderness
11m
Leviticus 25  –  13m
Gift of Rest
13m
Hebrews 10  –  12m
Meaning of Sacrifice
12m
Exodus 19  –  12m
Rescued for a Purpose
12m
Exodus 3  –  15m
When We Cry Out
15m
Genesis 32  –  13m
Wrestling God
13m
Genesis 1-3  –  15m
Why God Gave Choice
15m

Reflect

Once you've listened to the podcast, take time to reflect on these questions.

  1. What is one area of suffering you see in your life or in the world? Take some time now to tell God how you feel about it. He hears you.
  2. Ask God for understanding. How might he be working to limit the chaos in that painful situation? What comes to mind as you listen for his wisdom?
  3. Ask God for understanding. How might he be giving life in the midst of the suffering? (If nothing comes to mind, keep watching. God doesn’t let pain have the final word against his people.)

Go Deeper

If you would like to dive deeper, use these Scriptures and questions for personal study or small group discussion.

Message Question
How did Carissa’s message challenge or encourage you today?

Read: Job 38:1-18, Job 42:1-6

God created the whole universe. He cares for creation in ways that stretch far beyond our comprehension. We might not understand why we suffer, but we can know that we are not alone in our suffering. God knows the pain we feel. He feels it too. So when our pain doesn’t make sense and it’s so intense that we can barely see beyond it, we can trust that God is at work limiting chaos and giving life.

  1. As you review today’s passage, make a list of the specific things that God controls. What thoughts or feelings do you experience as you think about God’s powerful works?
  2. Review your list. If Job couldn’t do or understand these things, how could he begin to understand God’s judgments? Read Job’s response to God’s speech (Job 42:1-6). When have you been confronted with your own limitations in a way that humbled you?
  3. When Job says he will “despise himself and repent” (Job 42:6), he’s not saying he will hate himself or that he is worthless to God. The Hebrew word used here can also be translated as “refuse.” Job is saying that he will refuse his own limited judgments in order to trust God’s infinite knowledge. What has it looked like for you (or others) to humbly trust God’s understanding in the midst of suffering?
  4. Turn your reflections into a prayer. Express your awe of God’s power and understanding of the world he created. Pray for the healing and comfort of others you know who are suffering now.
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