Job 33:14–30. When we suffer or others around us suffer, the pain can seem random, even meaningless. We may begin to feel like Job felt when he declared that God must be his enemy. But this is not how God works. God uses suffering for a purpose. Suffering is never random. God uses it for our good and his glory.

Job 19:23–27. It is often in our lowest, scariest, or most helpless points in life that we see each other’s faith most clearly. This is because we are forced more than ever to look outside of ourselves for answers and to unearth our deepest convictions about where our hope really lies. This sermon has two main objectives: to get reacquainted with Job’s despair by revisiting where we’ve been the past four weeks, and then to catch a glimpse of the hope that Job still has beneath his despair, illustrated in the text for today.

Job 9:33. Suffering, like none other, can make us question, doubt, and distrust the very character of God. We often wonder whether God is punishing or somehow paying us back for something we have done or not done. We fear he might be angry and that his smile has been replaced by a scowl. The Bible tells us that God is pleased with us in Jesus Christ. In Job’s own suffering season, we see him alluding to and even appealing for such an arbiter who might be the go between on his behalf between him and God. He appeals and even says, “There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.” Here we see a clear reference to the coming mediation and arbitration that God has for all of his children who trust in His Son. May we have hope and assurance that if we are in God’s son, Jesus Christ, we have his smiling and soothing look upon us! It is unchanging and constant.

Job 2:11–13 and Job 13:4–12. In this section of Job, we are focusing on “wrestling with suffering”. Last week Ryan focused on encountering God in our suffering, and this week we are going to focus on encountering people in suffering. As we look at the text, I think you will see that we can comfort with silence and a few timely words. Because God is God, we don't have to be. So my sermon is broken down into two sections—

1. First, we're going to look at the significance of silence.

2. Second, we are going to see the wisdom in watching your words.

As counselors, we don't want to be speculating. So what should we say? God’s words. Stick to what you know, and make your words few.  

Job 1:1–22; 2:1–10. Suffering. It is impossible to avoid in this life, though many of us will try very hard. It doesn’t matter your ethnicity, age, gender, social or economic status—all people can and often do experience suffering. This morning we start a new series in Job. Job is not necessarily one of the books of the Bible that makes many people’s favorite list, but it makes mine precisely because of its topic—suffering. I don’t have a morbid fascination with suffering, but an awareness that suffering afflicts us all, and we—Christians—we have the best worldview and answer to suffering in our Lord Jesus Christ.