Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. (Job 42:3)
A couple in our Sunday school class were expecting a baby girl. They were young, passionate about the Lord and life, and the parents of an energetic two-year-old boy. As a community we were ready to help them welcome their daughter into the world. We had set up meal trains and bought all the baby items they would need during those first few weeks with an infant.
Shortly after bringing their daughter home, they begin to notice that she was not developing as she should. After many tests and hospital stays, their baby girl was diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation that would rob her of even the most basic mental capacities, including the ability to smile.
“Why is this happening? What did I do to deserve this? Is God really in control?” During times of suffering, these kinds of questions loom in our minds. Job, a man who feared God and stayed away from evil, found himself asking God these same questions during a season of intense hardship. He was not suffering because of his sin, as his friends had suggested, but because of his suffering he began to sin. Job began to blame God, instead of proclaiming his faithfulness. It was only when Job recognized his inability to know God’s full purposes, that he could rejoice amidst his pain.
Proclaim your trust in God amidst personal suffering.
Heather Mazellan is a student at Wesley Seminary, a thankful wife, and a joyful mother to three kids.
© 2021 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
