Not only the empathetic listener, but the person who questions God is also a Friend of Job. You want to believe, but because of tragedy in your life, you doubt the presence of God, that God hears, or that he pays attention to you or to your suffering. Consider yourself a friend of Job. If you also know someone else like that, let them know they have a friend in Job.
Job, blindsided by events beyond his control, losses beyond his ability to grieve, and doubts beyond his capacity to bear, struggles to reach God. Once so real, God now seems distant. Once so loving, he now seems detached. Once so reachable, he now seems absent. If you’ve been through a tragic circumstance over which you’ve had no control, you can identify with Job. If you are a victim of a natural disaster, or of someone else’s neglect, abuse, or violence, Job reminds us that we can question God and still survive.
We have someone in Job who voiced to God the hard questions we all have.
About Grose
Gordon Grose loves most to write, speak, and preach on the message of hope from the book of Job. Using drama, video, and PowerPoint, he has preached and presented this message of hope to churches around the country. Grose pastored three congregations 25 years, then served 12 years as a pastoral counselor in a Portland, Oregon counseling clinic. He now serves with Good Samaritan Counseling Services, Beaverton, OR.
A graduate of Wheaton College (IL), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Brandeis University, and Boston University, he comes from a rich and varied background in theological and counseling training. In 2015, Gordon published Tragedy Transformed: How Job's Recovery Can Provide Hope For Yours, a book about turning to Job for hope after tragedy.
If you have experienced life challenges or personal tragedy, visit his Transforming Tragedy (gordongrose.com) blog to learn more. TragedyTransformed.com provides a sample of Gordon's speaking as well as an opportunity to purchase copies of his book.
