Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. Job said:
‘Let the day perish on which I was born,
and the night that said,
“A man-child is conceived.””
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, June 14, 2020
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Suffering remains a mystery, but like Job, we can choose how we respond to it.
By this point, Job had lost not only his possessions, but also his health. In the face of Job’s relentless faith, Satan had obtained permission to test Job further by inflicting him with sores from head to toe.
Earlier in the story, Job’s wife rebuked him for remaining faithful, and encouraged him to curse God and be done with it. Job’s friends, who were shocked and appalled at the sight of him in his misery, debated with him about his state. They reminded him he had been a rock for so many when their faith had been tested. They challenged him to heed his own words and remain faithful in the face of his own health challenges.
Job’s response is faith, but with anger. Job still refused to curse God but did curse his own life. He cursed the day he was born. He cursed the darkness that his life had become. He prayed for God to end his life. But still he refused to curse or turn his back on God.
Job challenged God, wondering why God would care so much about lowly humans that God would inflict such pain in response to sin. According to tradition, his faith still dictated that the cause of his suffering was his own sin, not the whims of an angry God. He begged for mercy, that his sin be removed, and that this life come to an end.
Anyone who has suffered greatly knows this depth of pain and despair. Fundamentally, the question “why” continues to haunt us as it did Job. Christians have many theories about why suffering persists. Some say we are born in sin and sin leads to suffering. Others suggest suffering is a byproduct of the fall of humanity due to the sin of Eve and Adam. Still others say that suffering has a purpose, to test and strengthen our faith so that we might become even more fervent followers of Christ. Or perhaps suffering is random and arbitrary, without reason or meaning.
Perhaps the best approach to today’s text is to explore the different viewpoints on the origin, purpose, and meaning of suffering within the context of your congregation. You don’t need to provide a concrete answer—in fact, you can’t provide one with integrity. Nobody really knows, and platitudes (“God must have needed her more than we did.”) deepen, rather than lighten suffering. Acknowledging suffering and the varied responses to it in light of Job’s story can lead to deep conversations and strengthen faith.
God, I suffer. Many others do as well. Grant me the wisdom to learn from suffering that I might be a better servant to you. Amen.
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