The Cry of Suffering

The Cry of Suffering

Job 3

“Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb, and expire?”

                  There are times when we undergo such intense suffering and adversity that we not only experience profound despair, but we also begin to question the very reason for life itself. It is not that we just wish to die; we question the whole reason we were born. For seven days Job was silent. In his deep sorrow could not speak. However, even though his mouth was quiet, the thoughts going through his mind were shouting in anguish and despair. After seven days, the screaming thoughts come forth. The question that had been screaming in his thoughts was not just a question of God’s goodness, but the question of the very purpose and meaning of life. If the purpose of life is just to be thrown into the depths of the abyss of suffering, then it would be better not to have been born at all?

                  Job was experiencing what we all feel when we face circumstances that are so painful that life itself becomes meaningless. As we read through the first discourse of Job, several important truths become apparent. The first is that faith does not insulate us from the emotional impact of tragedy. Job did not deny or reject God. But in the depths of his loss, he falls into the pit of depression. Sometimes we think that if we have faith in God, we will never become discouraged or depressed. Yet the reality is that we do. We must acknowledge that throughout the book, as Job navigates the realm of depression, when he questions his existence and the goodness of God, God never charges Job with wrongdoing. In 1:22, the writer sets the stage for the book when he states, “Through all this, Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”  Being in the pit of discouragement when we are going through trials is natural and not an indication of a weak faith. 

                  The second lesson we see in the first discourse of Job is that suffering prompts us to begin questioning the value and purpose of life. If our lot in life is merely to suffer, then would it not be better not to be born at all? In his suffering, Job questions the value and purpose of life. In life, we face suffering, rejection, and the ridicule of others. However, death is the great equalizer. In death, the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, the small and the great, the prisoner and the taskmaster are all equal. There is no longer any difference between classes of people that we create. This then leads Job to question the purpose of life itself. Why is life given to us when all we do is face such intense suffering that we long for the peace of death but are not given it? If God’s purpose for us is just to suffer, then would it not be better to have never been born? 

                  The cry of suffering leads us to questions that we cannot answer. The one question that plagues Job and plagues us: “Why do we suffer when we are doing what is right?” If God is good and righteous, then why do the righteous suffer? This is the question that the rest of the book wrestles with, and a question that we also struggle to answer. By the end of the book, we will have discovered the answer.