Welcome to “Wednesday Words,” a weekly quote or insight I hope will encourage you and provide you a thought or illustration for preaching or teaching this week. Today’s quote is from scholar Craig Bartholomew’s study of the book of Job:
Deep suffering is terribly slow and protracted, just like Job 3–41. If you find 3–41 slow, repetitive, and, frankly, a bit of a drag, then remember that this book performs on the reader the experience of suffering; it is exhausting, tiring, and feels like an endless painful cycle. It’s relentless.
. . . .
Job is on a journey from being wise to being wise at a much deeper level of his being. It is a journey of depth formation and one that moves deeply into God; of course, in Christian spirituality these two go together. His suffering does come to an end. He is transformed and his fortunes are restored (42:1–17). But 3–41 remind us that there is no shortcut in a journey of transformation. We all want to be saints, but few of us are prepared for the journey it requires!
Craig G. Bartholomew, When You Want to Yell at God: The Book of Job. Lexham Press. Kindle Edition locations 154-160.
