From the archives of Oral Roberts
No other book in the Bible answers the problem of human suffering like the book of Job. There are three things about Job that I believe we should know to give us hope when we are suffering.
First, Job dwelt within God’s hedge of divine protection. Because God protected Job, his home, and his property, satan hated him. He sneered, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (Job 1:9 NKJV), insinuating that Job loved God only because He blessed him.
Second, Job’s afflictions were from satan. When God healed Job, the Bible says that He turned the captivity of Job (Job 42:10). When you think of afflictions as captivity, you can better understand Peter’s statement in Acts 10:38, How God anointed Jesus…with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed [or in captivity] of the devil.
Third, Job’s faith was simple. Rather than suppress his feelings over what satan had done to him or charge God with any wrong doing, Job opened his soul to God and expressed his deepest feelings. He said, Though He [God] slay me, yet will I trust Him (Job 13:15 NKJV).
The story of Job holds out hope to anyone who is feeling the sting of affliction and loss. Despite everything that happened to him, Job trusted God; and because he did, the Lord blessed Job at the end of his life more than at the beginning (Job 42:12 TLB).
