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| Job and his friends - Artist unknown |
TO CHEW ON: "When Job’s three friends Eliphaz... Bildad... and Zophar... heard about all the troubles that had come upon him they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him." Job 2:11
At the next heavenly council meeting, Satan suggested that God should take His protection away from Job’s body. If he got sick, Satan was sure Job would curse God.
God gave permission. Soon Job was so ill his friends who came to comfort him hardly recognized him.
Job’s friends thought it was his fault he was sick. When Job insisted he hadn’t done anything wrong, they argued, “God always punishes sin. This sickness is your punishment for something bad you did. Confess your sin and you’ll get better.”
Finally a young friend, Elihu, spoke. He said maybe Job’s sickness wasn’t because of something bad he did. Maybe God was just trying to teach Job a lesson.
Of course none of this talk made Job feel any better. But he kept on trusting God anyway. Job said, “But he knows the way I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)
PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to trust You even when things in my life don’t make sense. Amen.
SECOND HELPING: No Answers
1. Tell about a time you suffered because you did something bad.
2. Tell about a time you suffered and you didn’t have a clue why.
Sometimes we just don’t have answers. In those times, we can keep on coming to God with our mixed up feelings and questions, just like Job did.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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