Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
    my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
    my soul and body with grief.
My life is consumed by anguish
    and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
    and my bones grow weak.

Psalm 31:9-10

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OUR HUMAN CONDITION

Life isn’t fair. Sometimes the wicked prosper and the good are cut down. Some sick people are healed, and others are not. Suffering bewilders us. “Why did this happen to me? ” we ask. If God is just and good, why do we sometimes suffer so much? Surely it is not always because of our sin. It is easy to become bitter.

Disciple

MARKS OF DISCIPLESHIP

Mystery often accompanies our suffering. Natural disasters, disease, the actions of others can cause us great pain. In the face of unexplained suffering, the disciple trusts God. God does not always give us answers; God promises to be with us. The disciple knows that suffering causes a person to choose bitterness or trust.

Disciple

• Jesus, the sufferer
  • the pain bearer
  • the yoke carrier
  • the substitute
  • the one rejected/despised
  • the one ignored/shamed
• Jesus, the healer
  • the lifter
  • the shepherd
  • the king
  • the teacher
  • the friend
  • the counselor
  • the great high priest
  • the potter
  • the word
  • the hope
  • the victor
  • the worthy one
  • the deliverer
• The Lamb/The Lion
  • the promised one
  • the fulfillment
  • the mystery
  • the one who saves
  • the anointed one
  • the gift who provides
• Satan, the accuser
  • the liar
  • the counterfeit
  • the adversary
  • the thief
  • the enemy
  • the destroyer
  • the prince of the power of the air
  • the deceiver
  • the devourer
  • the god of the age
  • the serpent
  • the dragon
  • the defeated one
  • the tempter
  • the separator/divider
  • the confuser
  • the sinister minister
  • the one in disguise
  • the beguiler

“Why is light given to those in misery,
    and life to the bitter of soul,
to those who long for death that does not come,
    who search for it more than for hidden treasure,
who are filled with gladness
    and rejoice when they reach the grave?
Why is life given to a man
    whose way is hidden,
    whom God has hedged in?
For sighing has become my daily food;
    my groans pour out like water.
What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded has happened to me.
I have no peace, no quietness;
    I have no rest, but only turmoil.”

Job

Further Reading

Job

Job (dramatized audio)

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