It seems that the book of Job is not an answer to suffering, but it does hold wisdom for us about what to do when life doesn't make sense. Remember, Job didn't have that behind the scenes info where God gave permission to Satan to test if his love was unconditional. Job believed that God was kind and that He didn't punish innocent people, but when his circumstances didn't match up with his belief, he couldn't decide what to believe.

One of the things that really becomes clear through this prophetic book is that God desires to get to the root of our brokenness and promises to heal it. He's not interested in our sacrifices or making sure we act a certain way. He wants our hearts to come into full healing and be free to experience the fullness of wisdom and blessing that we receive when we are in intimate relationship with Him.

The thing about grief is, the only way over it is through it. We all will face grief in our lives, on more than one occasion. It's the nature of this world where our enemy is active and we await the return of our King. I'm no expert, but I'm currently grieving a loss and have been seeking God's heart during my journey. There's a few things He wants us to know.

The things that we ask for are often good things. Things we want because of a deeper need. The problem is, our world spins fast and leaves us with little time to dig deep in our prayers and we are left with a few minutes to address what's most troubling us. The deep needs that plague us bubble up into immediate wants. We want health, wealth and success.

Sometimes we are alone because of the brokenness around us and in us. The messiness of relationships with others takes its toll, and we choose to protect ourselves by pulling back. We've been hurt one too many times, and we retreat into the safety of aloneness.

I wonder how many times I have prayed for God to show up and then walked right past Him. That's one of the questions I actually don't want an answer to! With an ever present God, we miss Him more often than not.

As an adult, most seasons of hoping last longer than we would like them to. Can I get an amen? In that season of anticipation, hope can slip. Bit by bit, piece by piece, the enemy will strip it away until you are left heartsick. Our enemy defers our hope. He wears us down with small lies and big ones.

Whether it was a human mistake, an attack of the enemy, or the mysterious hand of God - you're here now, and any one of those causes should have the same effect. Hear this now, soak it in, because I know it with every fibre of my being. No matter what zapped that perfect plan you had, God's intention is to bring beauty from the broken.