Why? The Answer (Pt. 1) | Resources
Discussion Questions
1. Summarize Job 38–42:6.
2. What does God teach Job about himself? What is one of the most significant things you learned about yourself from this text?
3. What does God teach Job about God? What is one of the greatest truths you learned about God from this text?
4. What do these chapters teach us about the broken world we live in? What do these chapters teach us about why there is suffering in our world?
Memory Verse
“Then Job replied to the Lord: I know that you can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals my counsel with ignorance?’ Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wondrous for me to know.” Job 42:2–3 (CSB)
Story
As a kid, you may have grown up assuming you’d get married and have a family someday. At least I did. So when I graduated college as a single man and watched friend after friend walking the aisle, I was more than a little worried that God had forgotten about me. Wasn’t my deal with God that if I went to a Christian college, he’d introduce me to my future spouse there? That seemed to be the deal the rest of my friends had made.
As weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, I began to doubt God. I trusted Him with my eternity, but could I trust Him with the desires of my heart? And as the years passed and relationships came and went, my heart became hard and bitter.
Why was God doing this? Wasn’t my desire for a spouse a good thing? Why was God blessing those around me, but not me? I had more questions than answers.
I can’t say I ever had a turning point or a big “aha” moment where I was perfectly happy and content in my singleness. I had many more bad days than good days. Many more moments of doubt than of praise.
But one thing I can say for sure is that God was and is faithful.
In my doubts, God was faithful. In my bitterness, God was faithful. In my anger, God was faithful. In my loneliness, God was faithful. When I was faithless, God was faithful.
We may not see it or feel it in the moment, but “the Lord is near the brokenhearted.” There was a nearness I felt during those dark days that was tangible.
He’s faithful. He’s near. He showed that faithfulness and nearness most clearly on the cross. And if you can trust Him for your eternity, then you can trust Him for all of life’s circumstances. -TB