Job 9:25-26
“My days are swifter than a runner;
they flee away; they see no good.
They go by like skiffs of reed,
like an eagle swooping on the prey.
Tag: Suffering Impacts our Psychological Makeup
Job is suffering. It is doubtful that there is not one person on the face of the planet that would respond any different than Job. Job is struggling with the loss of children, the loss of servants (who would have been friends), the loss of property, the loss of respect, and the loss of these three friends who are now condemning him. The psychological impact that can have on someone is real and obvious in the above verses. Job no longer takes stock in the great life he has. It is not that it seems brief (and it is brief), but that he states his days “see no good.” Despite what we read in the beginning of the book about Job’s bless life, this pain, suffering and loss have caused him to see little, or no value, in his previous state of life. To him he is just a “reed” floating in the river. His life has no significance. His life is as fast as an eagle swooping on a prey. Job may, however, be thinking he is the prey and not the eagle. His life is over, unexpectedly, as the prey’s would be. When we are in suffering, or dealing with someone who is suffering, this is the language we say or hear. The only solution is to turn to the last chapters of this book and read about and hear about the power of God, the character of God, and the ability of God to restore. If, like Job, we only view our world through our current circumstances, this is how we view life. But, when we look at the life we have, no matter the circumstances, through the lens of God’s character, we have a different psychological disposition. Job, in the above verses is reviewing his life through the lens of pain ... natural, but not useful or profitable. We have to read to the end of the book to get Job’s antidote for psychological depression. Job needs to see his condition through the eyes of God’s character.
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