I remember when I was like 12 or 13, someone I know was going through a heartbreak, and the first words she told me were that she had plenty of questions for God to answer in heaven. Very daring, I must tell you. I am much older now and realize the futility of such a statement. As Job would say, who can question the Almighty God, the one who holds all wisdom? But she was going through pain—some shape us, and others break us, if we heed God’s word or not. Some even say the things that give us the hardest time are those that are like us. And we are in God’s image, yet we give Him the hardest time. He didn’t tell us to get into certain relationships, yet we blame Him. It’s even the same with colonies—the ones that give us the hardest time are the ones we colonize, the ones that have speech like us and sound like us, and we blame them too. Even as Adam blamed God, humans never change; we just recycle madness in our hearts.
Sometimes, when we go through afflictions, pain, and suffering, we forget what the goodness of God looks like. David said, “I had fainted except I had seen the goodness of God.” Psalm 27:13 Even if any man comes to tell you of the goodness of God (didn’t God give you this and that, as with Job) in your hour of misery, except it’s the voice of the Spirit, you will probably answer as Job answered. Job said, “I speak out of the bitterness of my mouth.” No words will bring satisfaction to your heart; in fact, any goodness shown to you at that point will feel like a rub of salt that slowly fades until we hear from God.
I always say: never comfort a man with mere words during affliction. Rather, speak to remind him of the goodness of God, His wonder, and might, as with Elihu questioning Job, because every human is righteous in their own eyes (I didn’t say self-righteous). Anything else will be a mere compensation for the travails of man—give him water from the wells of salvation, for the soul still needs saving from self. Except we see the goodness of God, all words—even the ones we hear—fail.