Read Job 16—17
If the only home I hope for is the grave … where then is my hope?
Job 17:13, 15
People treated Job as if he were the scum of the earth (v. 6). His body
was only the shadow of what it had been (v. 7), and all of his plans
had been shattered (v. 11). His friends would not change their minds
and come to his defense (v. 10). They would not face his situation
honestly, but they kept telling him that the light would soon dawn
for him (v. 12). Is it any wonder that Job saw in death the only way
of escape?
God did not answer Job’s plea for death because He had something far better planned for him. God looked beyond Job’s depression
and saw his faith. When I was a young pastor, I heard an experienced
saint say, “I have lived long enough to be thankful for unanswered
prayer.” At the time, I was shocked by the statement, but now that
I have lived a few more years myself, I know what she was talking
about. In the darkness of despair and the prison of pain, we often
say things that we later regret, but God understands all about it and
lovingly turns a deaf ear to our words but a tender eye to our wounds.
Something to Ponder
Have you ever felt that you had little if anything to live for? If so, what
were the circumstances?