God, Wisdom, and Difficult Times: A Study of Job

A new Wednesday night class for adults taught by Dale Lundy, a member of the Lafayette church, began September 11 and runs through November.

Watching suffering strike others is troubling. When it strikes us, it becomes more than troubling; it becomes faith-testing. Tornadoes, earthquakes, killing fields, famine, diseases, death – all these cause us to shake our heads as seemingly senseless tragedies strike people. We ask why. Why would God not put a hedge around us and protect us? How can God, who seems so close during the good times, seem so remote and inaccessible during our most intense suffering? Isn’t God more powerful than evil? Doesn’t God care about my life?

These questions have not faded away since the time of Job. They’ve become louder. The answers of Job’s friends are as inadequate today as they were then.

Job is one of a set of books we call Wisdom Literature. Wisdom in scripture is not divorced from everyday life, as people in our world often think about it – it is how you live your everyday life!

The questions about how to live everyday life never become more piercing than they do when deep tragedy strikes. What about the painful days and terrifying nights? How to live with friends who turn out to be miserable comforters? How to trust when it seems as if there’s a great iron barrier between you and heaven? That’s not typically what we call wisdom, yet that’s exactly what wisdom is in real life. It’s what Job faced. It is fascinating to realize that one of the oldest events in scripture is one of the most relevant to modern life.

God, wisdom, and faith in difficult times. Be a part of this class each Wednesday! The class, and the reading assignments you’ll be encouraged to do, should help your faith in your own difficult times.

Dale has made available resources and recordings from his class.

Job Reading List

Job – Outline 1.2

Session one