Scott Douglas

Job Grieved Scott Douglas

The Bible Never Says It Will Be Okay.

The Bible is largely silent on the topic of grief, which surprises most people; contrary to popular belief, the Bible never says things will be okay--that the pastures greener on the other side. Further, the Bible never says God won't give us anything we can't handle. That's a proverb man made up.

When it seems hopeless there's a reason: this might be a trial we cannot handle. It's natural to feel bleak about the future because the future is one thing God never promises will be better--better on Earth, at least.

The Bible is, of course, full of people undergoing hardship; but there's never a formula for getting through those hardships.

The Book of Job did something thousands of years ago that broke the mold of grief: it said bad things don't happen because you did something bad.

The Book of Job was radical in that it took out the logic of loss--it said don't look for the logical argument for why bad things happen; look to the healing.

If you are seeking the "why" you will not find the answers in Job; you will not find it anywhere in the Bible. But if you want to heal your soul, then there's a powerful message reading how Job deals with grief.