One of the most famous experiences of grief in the Bible, is the experience of a man named Job. Job was a faithful follower of God who had a daily relationship with Him.

One day, Satan came to God and told Him that Job only served God and told Him that Job only served God because of all the blessings that He had given him. So, God allowed for Job to be tested. 

This test was meant to show whether his faith was based on what God had given him, or on who God is—a relational God of love. 

So, God allowed Satan to remove everything He had given Job, except his life (Job 1). 

And in a matter of seconds, Job lost his donkeys, oxen, sheep, camels, servants, and even his children. 

It’s hard to imagine how that must have felt. 

And how did he respond?

He stood up, tore his garments, and shaved his head. These were ways of expressing deep grief and mourning in his culture. 

Then He does something else. He falls to the ground and worships God saying: 

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
And we’re told that “in all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong” (Job 1:21,22 NKJV).

Interesting, isn’t it? 

Job had such a walk with his Creator that he knew whatever God would choose to do with His life, it would ultimately work out for good.

Over the course of his experience, his close friends distanced themselves from him (Job 19:14,15). Even his wife exclaimed at one point, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die” (Job 2:9, NASB)! 

Unfortunately, this is a familiar experience for many even today. You yourself may have gone through a time of loss where the people closest to you seemed to be the most distant. Others could even have turned against you.

And like Job, you may have wondered why God was silent, too (Job 30:20).

At this time, Job had many questions. To him, It didn’t make sense why everything happened the way it did. He must have asked where God was when he needed Him?

But then, God breaks the silence in Job 38-42. He asks Job questions for which he has no answers. Questions which even scholars can’t claim to understand. God reveals Himself as the infinite God. The One who knows the end from the beginning.

Something to note is that God isn’t angry when we have questions. He’s a reasonable God.

In fact, He loves it when we want to discuss things and talk them over with Him. When we want to connect with our Creator.

That is why He says, “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18, NKJV).

He’s okay with questions, but ultimately, we need to know that He is the One in control. He is working for the salvation of all who will trust in Him, and He has your best interest at heart.

God’s existence, His character, His law, and His plans are inestimable. Yet, He desires to patiently instruct us to exercise faith in Him. To trust our case to the gentle, omnipotent hands of God. He gives enough evidence of His goodness to us, His earthly children, that we may have faith in Him.

The one question that He asks all of us is, “Will you trust Me even when life takes an unexpected turn?”

From Job’s experience, we learn God sees everything that happens. From life’s biggest crisis to the seemingly unnoticed teardrop, God sees it all, and He hears the cry of our hearts.

No matter what situation comes our way, God promises to ultimately turn around each and every one of them, and make it all “work together for the good of those that love God” (Romans 8:28).

Though God allowed tough times to come Job’s way, it was not God’s original intent. We must always remember that we are part of a great controversy. We live in a world where we know both “good and evil” (Genesis 3:5, 22), because of the choice humanity made.

But Satan is the one seeking to destroy and bring pain to all of us. And his efforts to twist and corrupt our world can feel overwhelming at times. He is hate-filled and sinister, and will happily play with your emotions. Then he will try to convince all that the deep sorrow, pain, and grief in the world comes from God.

As you can see, this controversy is over the character of God. In many ways, we can all relate to Job. And we can also strive to respond as Job did, always seeking comfort through the Lord, trusting His goodness, and holding on to His gentle hand even during the most devastating trials.  

Excerpt taken from adventist.org. https://www.adventist.org/death-and-resurrection/what-does-the-bible-say-about-grief/