Life is like a gust of wind that cannot be stopped. Time moves, crushing hopes, destroying pride, and leaving traces of fatigue along the way. Job, the man chosen to face deep suffering, felt how his days passed faster than a runner. He was not only struggling with loss, but also with the silence of the sky that seemed reluctant to give an answer.

Job saw his life as if he was running fast, as if he was being chased by something invisible. "My days pass faster than a runner" (verse 25). This complaint describes how helpless he was in the face of a reality that changed so quickly. From a psychological perspective, this phenomenon can be associated with the experience of someone who experiences severe stress, where time feels like it is running out of control, and the individual feels trapped in suffocating uncertainty. We are often in the same position. Time seems to be toying with us. Happiness feels short, while sadness is so tiring. Job felt his life was heading towards destruction, and there he discovered how small humans are in the face of divine mystery. He realized that there was nothing he could do to justify himself before God, for even if he tried to wash himself with the purest snow water, God would still cast him into the mud (vv. 30-31). Man’s efforts to purify himself, however great and persistent, are still not enough to bridge the gap that lies between mortality and holiness.

Job felt as if he had been found guilty without any defense. He asked: “I have been found guilty; why should I trouble myself for nothing?” (v. 29). This is the cry of a soul that feels punished for no apparent reason. Such experiences often give rise to feelings of learned helplessness, a state in which a person feels that no matter what he does, things will not change. Yet, in the midst of his despair, Job did not lose his awareness of God’s existence. He knew that there was an unbridgeable distance between him and God. He recognized the need for a mediator: “There is no arbiter between us, that can lay his hand on us both” (Job 9:33). Job realized his limitations, he needed someone who could understand his suffering and at the same time understand the greatness of God. Job, in his fragility, did not deny his feelings. He questioned, he struggled, but he did not leave God. He continued to seek meaning in the midst of suffering.

Bible friends, from the text we read, Job's feelings are depicted as being in suffering and trying to find answers to God for what he experienced. He describes himself as if he were before an indisputable judge. However, in the end, he realized that what was needed was more than just justice, he needed love. In matters between humans and God, justice is not only upheld, but love is also expressed. Suffering often brings humans to the crossroads between despair and faith. Which path we choose is entirely within our authority in our relationship with God. One thing that can make it easier for us is to allow ourselves to feel and express sadness as an important part of the healing process that produces clarity in choosing.