Please turn away, let there be no injustice;
Turn away, my righteousness is still in it.
Is there injustice on my tongue?
Does my palate not discern disasters? (vv. 29-30)

We often link our personal sufferings to our sins. Theologians and ministers blame Adam and Eve for our misery. It is true that Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were cast out of the Garden of Eden. However, we must remember that God planned the first humans’ fall before the creation. Does this fact make God unjust? This is an important theological question because churches got separated because of this.

The Book of Job asks crucial questions concerning the law, sin, and punishment. Did Job receive all those disasters because he did something wrong or broke the law? Before the law, no one is perfect. If we sin, God disciplines and guides us through suffering. But disasters come even when we are so careful to keep the law. In Job’s case, disobedience was not the cause of the disasters he received. His friends tried to convince Job that he must have done something wrong to deserve much suffering. But we ask God through Job this question: “Why did God make Adam in the way that he could disobey?” or “Why did not God prevent Adam from sinning?” or “Why did God plan Adam’s fall before creation?”

We want to avoid suffering and we do everything we can. We try to earn money and pay for insurance because money can sometimes lessen our suffering. But we know that money can’t prevent us from suffering because we all die. People follow after idols or people who they think can secure their wealth and health. If you obey the law of God thinking it would prevent you from suffering, you are mistaken. For true Christians, life is a training ground. Our lives are full of bad surprises and suffering.

God gives us suffering because it is the most effective and only way for us to seek and understand God. In a way, suffering in our lives is our baptism.

When someone is going through hard times, pray for the person quietly instead of quickly judging and condemning him/her.

But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! (Luke 12:50)

Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)