Rabbi Harold Kushner lost a son to a degenerative disease—premature aging syndrome. He later wrote the bestseller When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Trying to maintain his belief in God, he said that God is either not good enough, since he allowed the sickness, or not powerful enough to prevent it. He chose the latter. According to Kushner, God created the world but isn’t in complete control of it. In other words, God hopes for our good and sympathizes with us in our pain, but He’s powerless to do anything about it.

Job suffered a triple whammy, losing his wealth, his 10 children, and his health (Job 1:1–2:13). Job’s three friends, showing concern, came to comfort him (Job 2:11). Believing that suffering is always the result of sin, they took turns to convince Job (Job 4:1–25:6) to confess his sins so that God would bless him once again (Job 8:4-7, Job 11:14-17, Job 15:5-6).

As Job conversed with his friends, he lamented that they were not helping him but adding to his pain (Job 6:14-17). Speaking of God’s unfathomable ways (Job 26:5-14), he extolled God’s omniscience—His ability to know and see everything (Job 26:5-6). And, unlike Kushner, Job didn’t doubt God’s omnipotence—His great power and sovereign rule over all (Job 26:7-13). He also spoke of God’s transcendence—that God’s ways are far above our ways (Job 26:14).

While there’s mystery in God’s ways, there’s no uncertainty about His absolute sovereignty and power. Job concluded that what we can see God doing in this world is “just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power.” Awed by Him, Job asked, “Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?” (Job 26:14). Who indeed?

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Joshua 24:1-31