The Fog of Pain

“Job continued his discourse: ‘How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when His lamp shone upon my head and by His light I walked through darkness!’”

Job 29:1-3 (NIV)

As the story of Job unfolds we discover the source of his personal vexation and discouragement. Ultimately, it was not the loss of possessions, wealth, or family that dispirited him; it was the sense that either God had abandoned him, or, worse still, determined to curse him. Either way, Job believed he was no longer in God’s favor or the Lord’s Company, which spiritually crushed him. Clearly, Job yearned for God’s wisdom and insight. He craved it. Without it, he felt like a boat adrift at sea, with no anchor and no heading. God was Job’s rock (a pillar of support) and resting place (a secure stronghold). Without God, there was no motivation to keep going. Jaded by loneliness and despair, Job eventually saw no need to continue on this earth.

Grief brings about a paralyzing darkness. Job felt as though he was undergoing a living death. He momentarily lost the satisfaction and the pleasure of being alive. At one point, he likened his existence to being sentenced to hard labor. He viewed himself as a worker biding time until the grueling workday was done. It brought about a spirit of restlessness and dejection in him. Pain, emotional or physical, has a way of becoming our singular focus. The more we dwell on it the more meaningless life seems. There are moments, typically in the midst of catastrophes, in which we call out to God only to hear silence. We bring our desperate pleas to God’s throne and obtain nothing immediately that inspires us to tarry on. But the hope-gaps that pain ushers in must be filled in with faith in the Almighty.

The fog of pain is a fierce tormentor and a misleading afflicter. We are never away from God’s benevolent hand and yet we assume we are all alone in agony, as Job temporarily did. Long-term sadness often produces negative thoughts and illogical conclusions. It shrouds everything in darkness and glosses over the goodness of God. There is no reason for optimism, or so a broken heart convinces us. When we descend to the depths of spiritual valleys many times we falsely believe there is no way of escape. No likelihood of returning to mountaintops. No possibility of peace. But none of the aforementioned musings are correct when you factor in the all-powerful, all-knowing God. The Lord has no weaknesses. He knows exactly what to do and when to do it. If we will but trust Him with today then we can be sure He will properly oversee tomorrow.

The primary lesson to glean from this passage in Job is that we must not be disillusioned by calamity. We must not surrender our confidence in God or our desire to worship Him in all seasons, even those beset by setbacks. We must not adopt a weak spirit or seek a hasty exit from this life. God is ready and willing to absorb our tears and transform us in tragedy, but it requires submitting to His authority and recognizing His lordship in all matters. There is a holy light that is ever shining. If we can take our eyes away from the haze of hardship and wait on the Lord we will see His abundant light and find the courage to journey on in obedience.

In God, there is cause to praise, even in adversity. In God, there is cause to persevere, especially in disasters. In God, there is cause to be patient, realizing that God is always in control. In God, there is cause to be at peace because God’s reign never wavers or diminishes. In God, the fog of pain cannot debilitate us; it can only draw us closer in fellowship to God, the great and holy One.