The Agony & Approach in Our Suffering

For Week 2 in our ‘The School of Life’ series, we explore how to respond to God in the midst of suffering by walking through Job’s example. Last week focused on The Mystery and the Mercy in Our Pain, reminding us that suffering is not always punishment, but a mysterious part of life under God’s sovereign hand. This week shifts the focus from “Why do we suffer?” to “How should we approach God in our suffering?”

The message unfolds through three responses from Job. First, Honest Lament teaches us to bring our whole hearts before God. Job’s cries were raw, emotional, and unfiltered—yet they were directed towards God, showing that lament is not rebellion but worship. In pain, we are invited to express our grief honestly before a God who listens.

Second, Bold Protest reminds us to stand up and speak to God. Job demands a hearing from God, showing persistence in the relationship rather than passivity. Remarkably, God commends Job’s honest protest over his friends’ empty religiosity. We learn that faithful protest draws us closer to God rather than away.

Finally, Humble Surrender calls us to rest in the vision of God even when answers don’t come. Job’s transformation is not in gaining explanations but in seeing God more clearly, leading to peace and surrender rather than bitterness.

The sermon concludes with a challenge: in suffering, don’t turn to distraction or despair—turn to God. Like Job, we may not receive explanations, but we can receive God Himself. C.S. Lewis captured this truth, “God shouts in our pain.” The hope is not in having answers, but in knowing the One who speaks in the whirlwind.