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Through an earth-bound happy ending, Job’s final chapter teaches important lessons about eternal life. They’re the very lessons we’re to cling to when trials come. What made Job’s suffering so hard was that he didn’t know how his story would end. Thanks to him, we can know how ours will.
More and more about our world feels senseless and unjust. And then when a crisis hits in our own personal circumstances, it only strengthens the doubts: Does God know what He’s doing? An encounter with God pictured in the Book of Job gives us some truths to hang onto when the pain is deep and life doesn’t make sense.
Sometimes, our struggles with grief and depression are made worse by feelings of guilt. We feel badly that we’re not more optimistic about what we’re going through. Often the problems is that we’ve underestimated the depth of human pain and missed the balance of the Bible’s teaching regarding suffering.
When suffering enters our lives, we naturally ask difficult questions. But the Book of Job reveals a deeper question being asked of us: Do we love God only for His gifts, or because He is worthy of worship?
Recently, I had a comment from a listener who said, “If you give the same Bible to two billion people and tell them to interpret it for themselves, won’t they come up with more than two billion interpretations?” They then explained that the Catholic solution to this problem is the Pope. I'd like to consider the problem the listener raises and the solution that he offers.
Ever feel like your prayers are hitting the ceiling? Psalm 77 captures that struggle—and shows us a surprising path forward. If you’re tired, discouraged, or doubting, this reflection might be exactly what your heart needs today.
Painful trials have a way of testing our coping strategies. The Book of Job introduces a man whose suffering included unimaginable financial devastation, unrelenting physical pain, and the tragic loss of his children. His story helps us to see the limitations of some of our usual responses and gives us more effective means of relief.
Stress at work, problems with kids, and our mental health push us to look for peace in different ways. But the instructions for the Peace Offering in the Book of Leviticus teach us to confess, connect, and celebrate in order to experience lasting peace.
The grain offering of Leviticus teaches us how to respond to the love and forgiveness of God. It pictures an ancient act of devotion that shows how God delights in sincere expressions of love, no matter how simple.
Desperate for acceptance, I went to wild lengths in university to fit in. Years later, Leviticus, a book many avoid, transformed how I viewed acceptance. The background of a sacrifice called a sin offering reveals a deeper, lasting acceptance from God that goes beyond masks and striving.
