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?