Read Job 30
In his great power God becomes like clothing to me; he binds me
like the neck of my garment.
Job 30:18–19
Job experienced sufferings similar to those of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the daytime, Job endured unbearable suffering; and at night, God
wrestled with him, made his clothing like a straitjacket, and threw
him in the mud. Every night, God wrestled with Job; and Job lost.
Job prayed to God. He even stood up and cried out for deliverance, but his prayers were unanswered (v. 20).
Job had faithfully helped others in their need (29:12–17), but
now nobody would help him. They wouldn’t weep with him or even
touch him. He was treated like a leper. It just wasn’t wise to get too
close.
Where were the people Job had helped? Surely some of them
would have wanted to encourage their benefactor in his time of need.
But nobody came to his aid. Mark Twain wrote, “If you pick up a
starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is
the principal difference between a dog and a man.” But according to
missionary doctor Wilfred Grenfell, “The service we render for others
is really the rent we pay for our room on this earth.”
Something to Ponder
Are you as honest about your feelings toward God as Job is in
30:18–23? Why or why not?