The stronghold of the Almighty is eternal and unbroken. “You lead me to steady pastures and peaceful streams” (Psalm 23:2, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition [RSV-2CE]). “Your love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1, RSV-2CE). “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4, RSV-2CE). The holy words of Sacred Scripture proclaim the comfort in God’s love.

For this is not a promise that in life we shall not suffer. On the contrary, in the example of Job, a righteous man who lived as rich in wealth as he was in holiness, the story goes: “One day in the courtrooms of heaven there were the hosts of heaven. The accuser entered, and the Lord asked of the enemy, ‘From where have you come?’ and the enemy responded, ‘From wandering to and fro upon the earth. Look at all the evil, pain, and sadness’” (cf. Job 1:6 to 7, RSV-2CE). And the Lord said, “‘Have you considered my servant Job?’” (Job 1:8, RSV-2CE). And the accuser pressed on, “‘He only loves you for the wealth he has, for take away all that is dear to him and he will curse you to your face’” (cf. Job 1:9 to 11, RSV-2CE). So the Lord said, “‘Take what you will from him, but let no harm come to him’” (cf. Job 1:12, RSV-2CE).

And Job lost, and everything was taken from Job in a matter of days, his wealth, his land, and even his children (cf. Job 1:13 to 19, RSV-2CE). And in all of this Job praised the Lord, even when those tempted him to curse God (cf. Job 1:20 to 22; 2:9 to 10, RSV-2CE). Then once more in the courts of heaven the accuser came, and the Lord said, “‘From where have you come?’” and the accuser responded, “‘From walking to and fro upon the earth. Look at the sadness and suffering’” (cf. Job 2:1 to 2, RSV-2CE). And the Lord said, “‘Have you considered my servant Job? For there is none as righteous as him in all the earth’” (cf. Job 2:3, RSV-2CE). In anger the accuser stated, “‘Skin for skin, take away his health and he shall curse you to your face’” (cf. Job 2:4 to 5, RSV-2CE). And the Lord replied, “‘Do what you will, though do not take his life’” (cf. Job 2:6, RSV-2CE).

Job fell ill with sores and boils across his body, and he scraped his body’s dead skin with a broken piece of pottery and wore burlap sacks for clothing to show his grief, but in all this he praised the Lord (cf. Job 2:7 to 10, RSV-2CE). Thus, after all this suffering, Job found refuge in the Lord, and the Lord multiplied his wealth and rebuked the accuser (cf. Job 42:10 to 17, RSV-2CE).

For this story beautifully illustrates the posture of God’s heart toward us. The Lord does not promise a life without suffering, but a resurrection, and that those who seek refuge in the Lord shall be saved, either in this life or in eternity. The Lord is the reason for all that we have. As Solomon, the great and wise king of Israel, stated in his proverbs, “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22, RSV-2CE). And as Ecclesiastes declares, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14, RSV-2CE). This too shall pass. In both suffering and prosperity, all things pass at some point. For only the love of Christ and unity in the Father are eternal. For the power of this truth is echoed in Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans: “nothing can separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:38 to 39, RSV-2CE).

As Saint Augustine so beautifully reminds us, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” May we always take refuge in the Lord, who is our strength, our comfort, and our eternal hope. And so the final truth remains this: suffering may wound us for a time, but it can never conquer the soul that remains hidden in the refuge of God.

References

Augustine of Hippo. (2001). Confessions (H. Chadwick, Trans.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published ca. 397 CE)

Ignatius Press. (2006). The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. Ignatius Press.