WEEK 1 - SUFFERING

The story of Job in the Bible is a realistic and wisdom-filled account that connects with our questions about suffering. In this message Pastor Marvin introduces us to Job and poses some of the most often asked questions about suffering. Join us as we learn about God, Satan, and suffering.

Reflection Questions

  1. Think to a time you experienced suffering – perhaps that’s right now. How did that change your relationship with God?

  2. What do you believe about Satan? How do we distinguish his accusations from God’s appraisal of us (see Job 1:8-11)?

  3. In the face of loss, can you express your grief and worship to God honestly (see Job 1:20-21)?

WEEK 2- JOB’S COMFORTERS

Comfort is like a shock absorber. It doesn’t smooth the road but it does smooth the ride. The right kind of comfort at the right time is an amazing source of strength. Join us this weekend as we look at how not to comfort and how to make sense of suffering.

Reflection Questions

  1. Has anyone said something to you in your suffering that made it worse? Have you said something like that to someone else?

  2. Do you believe that God is at work amid your suffering, even when you don’t have an answer to the “why” question?

  3. When you have hard thoughts about God or feel distant from him, do you express that to God?

WEEK 3 - WISDOM

There is something about difficult times that causes people to ask questions that are not asked in good times. When we don’t know why we’re suffering, wisdom is needed to process what we’re going through. This weekend, we’ll look at why we need wisdom and where wisdom is found.⁠

Reflection Questions

  1. Why is wisdom so valuable for us in a different way than knowledge?

  2. Have you ever felt that wisdom is “hidden” (Job 28:21), perhaps in a period of suffering in your life?

  3. How does “the fear of the Lord” help us to live wisely (Job 28:28)? When have you experienced this?

WEEK 4 - God Revealed

We love a story that ends with “and they lived happily ever after.” At the close of the Book of Job, we know that what Job lost is restored to him, but what Job discovers about God is the real happy ending. Join us this weekend as look at how God opens Job’s eyes to the answer that Job needed.

Reflection Questions

  1. “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5). Have you ever experienced an encounter with God like that in difficult times?

  2. Have you found God’s purpose is shaping you to look like Jesus, even in suffering? Do you like the person you are becoming?

  3. How do you respond to the truth that God’s wisdom far exceeds our understanding? Are you able to trust him without having answers?