Why? The Approach (Pt. 1) | Resources
Discussion Questions
1. Summarize Job chapters 4–31.
2. How do you think the average person understands suffering? What advice would you give to someone going through suffering?
3. What do Job’s friends and Job’s wife teach us about wisdom and counsel? How is life different having a personal relationship with the Lord?
4. These chapters force us to wrestle with righteousness, justice, and suffering. What have these chapters taught you about these topics?
Memory Verse
“But I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the end he will stand on the dust.” Job 19:25 (CSB)
Story
“You gave me life and faithful love, and your care has guarded my life.” Job 10:12
Years ago, I lost my job. A few weeks later, we were out of gas and food, and one of the kiddos needed the doctor. My wife and two kids needed me, and I felt like I failed them. Feelings of defeat and helplessness overwhelmed me. It was tempting to use fear rooted in worry and anxiety as the motivating factor to find another job. You can learn a lot about yourself when you feel helpless. Who or what will you turn to? Our dependence and need for God never changed, but when the safety net of a predictable future is removed, it is a real test of who you trust as your foundation to get through difficult times. Do you trust in yourself, or do you trust in God, who will guard your life and provide for your needs?
The correct answer is to say, “I trust God.” Admittedly, the correct answer is much easier to say than to live out. The temptation is to build a safety net for the sole purpose of predictability as a trustworthy source. Don’t get me wrong, putting some savings away, getting a stable and good-paying job, and buying useful things for the home is not bad. In fact, they can be good and healthy for you! But what is the foundation you trust for your life? Is it in something that has the potential to fall apart? God is the only one that is permanently secure for you. Never changing, always loving, always caring for His children, and always faithful even when we are not. Our safety net is God Himself. Now, THAT is a secure foundation! -DH