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Which is more agonizing for Job – the suffering he is currently enduring or the exasperation of God’s silence? Which is more agonizing for you?
Now I am about to die; there is no relief for my suffering. 17 At night my bones all ache; the pain that gnaws me never stops. 18 God seizes me by my collar and twists my clothes out of shape. 19 He throws me down in the mud; I am no better than dirt. 20 I call to you, O God, but you never answer; and when I pray, you pay no attention.
Job 30:16-20 GNB
Many years ago I can remember my oldest daughter calling out to me in the middle of the night when she was just a toddler. She was very upset about something and trembling with fear. I went into her room and she grabbed me around the neck, locking her legs around my body. She said, “I called for you but you never came!”
Have you ever felt this way about God? Do you feel this way now?
Job is calling out to the Father who is seemingly right in the next room, but there is no answer. I don’t know why I didn’t hear my daughter until the time that I did, but we shared a powerful moment as she found security and comfort in my arms that night. Whatever was bothering her was still on her mind, but she had me there with her, and that made all the difference.
Job’s suffering and humiliation is unbearable, but if he could feel God’s presence, it would go a long way. Again, can you resonate with these feelings?
What does it do for us to think about these things? Does it bring greater appreciation? What do we learn from these ‘dry spells’?
The more I read Job, the more adoration I have for Jesus. Without Him, and the Holy Spirit, we are completely hopeless. Yes, we may go through times where we feel God is silent, but we have His Word, His promises, and His Spirit. These are blessings God has provided for our hearts and minds when we feel like He isn’t listening or doesn’t care. The Scriptures are full of people like us crying out to a God they know hears them and waiting intently for Him to act.
You may not feel like God has heard you, but He has. You may not feel like He is working, but He is. Jesus is proof of His love and the Holy Spirit brings comfort and peace even when there is no reason to feel this way. This is what we must cling to in our most desparate times!