Many years ago, Job and his suffering got a lot of my attention. His was a story that can give you reason to pause when you are in trouble or something has smacked you up side the head. For some reason, Job just kind of got on my mind again, and so the reading started for a new look.
The new look has not changed my original perceptions. Maybe I'll divide the story in a different way,[more] but it's still all about three friends and a kid against a man who still honors (trusts) his God. Mustn't forget that bad guy who trys to get him to renounce his trust.
In this mix, is God who knows all, sees all and actually controls everything.
The story of Job is not about how much suffering you can live through, but about how you live through it. It is not about how mean Satan can be in his attacks, but about how we see beyond the attack to the solution that awaits those who have a hope in an all-powerful God.
Job survived in spite of his well meaning friends and his enemies. Even his wife factors into the picture – she wasn't much of a friend in need.
The real story isn't buried, but you have to look carefully at how things happen and how Job reacts to them – his response. Then look at your own life and measure your responses.