When things looked like they couldn’t get any worse for Job, they most certainly did. After Job lost his animals, his servants, and his children, he lost his health. God allowed Satan to strike Job with sores from head to toe.

Even Job’s wife was ready to quit her faith. “Curse God and die,” she said. But Job knew that was wrong. “If the treasure comes from God, the trials must come from God too,” Job thought. He refused to sin by shaking his fist at God.

In the midst of such misery, Job’s friends came along to comfort him. “That must have helped!” you might think. But it didn’t. Job’s so-called friends were miserable comforters. They blamed Job for all his problems and assumed that bad things only happen to bad people.

Job was right not to blame himself. He wasn’t being punished by God. Bad things sometimes happen to good people. And yet, over time Job began to wonder if God was one of the bad guys! Now, it’s not wrong to be sad or to feel hurt. But Job’s cries turned to complaining, and his groaning turned to grumbling. He was ready to teach God a thing or two and demanded that God give him some answers.

That’s when God spoke to Job. A lot. But he didn’t answer Job’s questions. In fact, God answered Job out of a whirlwind with almost nothing but questions. Where were you when I made the world? Can you number the clouds? Do you rule over the animals? Do you know everything there is to know?

Job didn’t have an answer for God. And yet, God’s questions were a kind of answer for Job. They taught Job to be humble. So Job covered his mouth and let God do the talking. When the Lord finished, Job said he was sorry and confessed that God was God and he was not.

In the end, the Lord rebuked Job’s so-called friends for not speaking the truth about Job or about God. God was, however, pleased with Job. He accepted his prayer and blessed Job for his faithfulness. God restored the fortunes of Job, giving him ten more children and even more animals and servants than he had before.

God will turn around our suffering just like he did for Job. But he may not do it right away. Some of God’s people suffer through many trials all through life. Even so, God promises to bless those who stay close to him. For some the blessing comes soon. For others it comes in heaven. But for all of God’s children, the best blessing is God himself.