Tuesday, August 4, 2026
[God said:] “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors, … and prescribed limits for it … and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’? … Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.” (Job 38:4-8a, 10a, 11, 16-18)
I feel sorry for Job. Not only does he lose his riches, his children, and his own good health, but he has to put up with his friends trying to explain his suffering. And since their answers are usually “You must have sinned somehow,” their speeches are no comfort at all.
But then God Himself shows up. And He’s not there to supply Job with answers about evil. He’s there to ask more questions. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” He demands. We get four chapters of amazing poetry as God lists all the wonders Job can’t explain. And in the end Job admits, “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
That seems like God’s whole point—as if He said, “You are a human being with human limits. You can’t even understand the world you live in. How could you understand why evil things happen? You wouldn’t understand the answer if I told you.”
And Job is satisfied with that. Why?
I think it’s because God cared enough to show up. He cared enough to tangle with Job and his questions. Job loses the argument, but that’s okay. He goes away knowing that what has happened to him is a mystery, not a punishment, and God is still in control of the universe, whether Job can understand it or not. This is a God who can be trusted—a God who cares enough to show up.
And that’s what we have, too, isn’t it? In our own experiences with suffering, our hearts cry out, “Why is this happening? Where is God?” And for us, too, God has humbled Himself and come to be with us—not as a terrifying vision this time, but as the Man Christ Jesus. Jesus has taken the fight against evil into His own hands. He carries our griefs and bears our sorrows, all through His life, all the way to the cross—where He destroys them. Jesus’ death is the death of evil; and His resurrection is the end of death itself for everyone who trusts in Him. Now, until the day Jesus returns, we may still suffer, but our suffering is transformed; Jesus carries it together with us, and will utterly end it on the Last Day. He has already won that victory.
WE PRAY: Lord, I don’t understand much, but I see that You are with me. Thank you. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions: