It’s natural to wonder why bad things happen to good people—or, for that matter, why good things happen to bad people. Why would God, who is just, allow that? The book of Job explores questions like these. Job was one of those good people to whom a lot of bad things happened. Because of Job’s trials, his friends wondered if he really was good after all. Job asserted his own righteousness and wondered if God really is just after all. But despite his suffering and wondering, Job maintained his integrity and faith in Jesus Christ. In the book of Job, faith is questioned and tested but never completely abandoned. That doesn’t mean all the questions are answered. But the book of Job teaches that until they are answered, questions can coexist with faith. And regardless of what happens in the meantime, we can say of our Lord, “Yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15).
For an overview of the book of Job, see “Job” in the Guide to the Scriptures (Gospel Library).
Ideas for Learning at Home and at Church
Job 1–3 ; 12–13 — I can trust God in all circumstances.
The opening chapters of Job emphasize, in a poetic way, Satan’s role as our adversary or accuser; they don’t describe an actual interaction between God and Satan. As you read what Satan said about Job (see Job 1:9–11; 2:4–5), you might ask yourself, “Why do I remain faithful to God?” Why would it be dangerous to obey the Lord solely for the reason Satan suggested?
What impresses you about Job’s responses to his trials? (see Job 1:20–22; 2:9–10).
Job’s friends suggested that God was punishing him (see Job 4–5; 8; 11). What problems do you see with this idea? Read Job’s response in chapters 12–13. What did Job know about God that enabled him to keep trusting? What do you know about God that helps you face challenges?
Job 19 — Jesus Christ is my Redeemer.
Sometimes we learn the most important truths during our most difficult times. Ponder the trials Job described in Job 19:1–22 and the truths he proclaimed in verses 23–27. How do you know that your Redeemer lives? What difference does this knowledge make in your life?
Consider singing or listening to a hymn about Jesus Christ, such as “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (Hymns, no. 136). What words from this hymn express your feelings about Him?
Job 21–24 — “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
In Job 21–24, you’ll read a debate between Job and his friends. At the heart of this debate was a question many people have asked: Why do righteous people sometimes suffer?
Although we don’t have all the answers, in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, we have some truths that can help us make sense of adversity and suffering. Below are latter-day scriptures that contain some of these truths. What do these scriptures teach you about Heavenly Father and His plan?
You could also read President Spencer W. Kimball’s teachings about adversity in “Tragedy or Destiny?” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2011]), 11–21).
Based on what you have studied, how might you answer a question like “Why does God allow righteous people to suffer?”
Job 38–40 ; 42 — God’s perspective is greater than mine.
Frustrated with his friends’ accusations (see Job 16:1–5; 19:1–3), Job repeatedly asked God why he had to suffer so much (see Job 19:6–7; 23:1–9; 31). The Lord did not give a clear reason in the book of Job. But He did teach an important message in chapters 38–40. How would you summarize that message? For example, what do you learn from the Lord’s questions in Job 38:1–7, 18–24?
You’ll notice that the Lord spoke to Job about some of His creations and other mighty works (see Job 38–39). You might look at some of those creations (or pictures of them). How do these things help you think differently about God? about your trials? How did they change Job’s perspective? (see Job 42:1–6; see also Moses 1:8–10).
Here are two general conference messages that can help change our perspective: Tamara W. Runia, “Seeing God’s Family through the Overview Lens” (Liahona, Nov. 2023, 62–69); Russell M. Nelson, “Think Celestial!” (Liahona, Nov. 2023, 117–20). In either message, look for something that you’ll want to remember the next time your trials seem overwhelming. How will you remind yourself of what you learned?
Be creative. Learning doesn’t have to consist only of reading, thinking, and talking. Sometimes the most memorable learning comes in physically active ways. For example, when you read about how the Lord changed Job’s perspective in Job 38–40, you might take a walk and look at some of the Lord’s creations, large and small. Or you might look at an object from different perspectives—from above, below, up close, far away, and so on.
01 There was a man in the land of Uz , whose name was Job ; and that man was perfect and upright , and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.02 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.03 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.04 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.05 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.06 ¶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord , and Satan came also among them.07 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord , and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.08 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?09 Then Satan answered the Lord , and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?010 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.011 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.012 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power ; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord .013 ¶ And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house:014 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:015 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.016 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.017 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.018 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house:019 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.020 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,021 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord .022 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
Job 11
01 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,02 Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified?03 Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?04 For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure , and I am clean in thine eyes.05 But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;06 And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.07 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?08 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?09 The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.010 If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?011 For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?012 For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.013 If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;014 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles .015 For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear:016 Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:017 And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.018 And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.019 Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee.020 But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.
Job 12
01 And Job answered and said,02 No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.03 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?04 I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.05 He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.06 The tabernacles of robbers prosper , and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.07 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:08 Or speak to the earth , and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.09 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?010 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.011 Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?012 With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.013 With him is wisdom and strength , he hath counsel and understanding.014 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.015 Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.016 With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.017 He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.018 He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.019 He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.020 He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.021 He poureth contempt upon princes , and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.022 He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.023 He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.024 He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.025 They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
Job 13
01 Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it.02 What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you.03 Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.04 But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.05 O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.06 Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.07 Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?08 Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?09 Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?010 He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons.011 Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you?012 Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.013 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.014 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?015 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.016 He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.017 Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.018 Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified .019 Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.020 Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee.021 Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.022 Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.023 How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.024 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?025 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?026 For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.027 Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.028 And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth eaten.
Job 14
01 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.02 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.03 And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?04 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? not one.05 Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;06 Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling , his day.07 For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.08 Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;09 Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.010 But man dieth , and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?011 As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:012 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.013 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!014 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.015 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.016 For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?017 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.018 And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.019 The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.020 Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.021 His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.022 But his flesh upon him shall have pain , and his soul within him shall mourn.
Job 16
01 Then Job answered and said,02 I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.03 Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest?04 I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul’s stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you.05 But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should assuage your grief.06 Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased?07 But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company.08 And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, which is a witness against me: and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face.09 He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.010 They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully ; they have gathered themselves together against me.011 God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked.012 I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.013 His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground.014 He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant .015 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.016 My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death;017 Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure.018 O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.019 Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven , and my record is on high.020 My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.021 O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!022 When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.
Job 19
01 Then Job answered and said,02 How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?03 These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.04 And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.05 If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach:06 Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.07 Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment .08 He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.09 He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.010 He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.011 He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.012 His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle .013 He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.014 My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.015 They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.016 I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I entreated him with my mouth.017 My breath is strange to my wife, though I entreated for the children’s sake of mine own body.018 Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me.019 All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.020 My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.021 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends ; for the hand of God hath touched me.022 Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh ?023 Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!024 That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!025 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:026 And though after my skin worms destroy this body , yet in my flesh shall I see God:027 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.028 But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?029 Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.
Job 2
01 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord , and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord .02 And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord , and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.03 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity , although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.04 And Satan answered the Lord , and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life .05 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.06 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand ; but save his life.07 ¶ So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord , and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.08 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes .09 ¶ Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity ? curse God, and die.010 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil ? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.011 ¶ Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.012 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.013 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
Job 21
01 But Job answered and said,02 Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations.03 Suffer me that I may speak; and after that I have spoken, mock on.04 As for me, is my complaint to man? and if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled?05 Mark me, and be astonished, and lay your hand upon your mouth.06 Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh.07 Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?08 Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes.09 Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.010 Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.011 They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.012 They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ .013 They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.014 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.015 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?016 Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.017 How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.018 They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.019 God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it.020 His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.021 For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off in the midst?022 Shall any teach God knowledge ? seeing he judgeth those that are high.023 One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.024 His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow.025 And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.026 They shall lie down alike in the dust , and the worms shall cover them.027 Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.028 For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? and where are the dwelling places of the wicked?029 Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens,030 That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.031 Who shall declare his way to his face? and who shall repay him what he hath done?032 Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb.033 The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and every man shall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.034 How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood ?
Job 22
01 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,02 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?03 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous ? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect ?04 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?05 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?06 For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.07 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry .08 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.09 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.010 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;011 Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.012 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!013 And thou sayest, How doth God know ? can he judge through the dark cloud?014 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.015 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?016 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:017 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?018 Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.019 The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.020 Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.021 Acquaint now thyself with him , and be at peace : thereby good shall come unto thee.022 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.023 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.024 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.025 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.026 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.027 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows .028 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.029 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.030 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
Job 23
01 Then Job answered and said,02 Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.03 Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!04 I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.05 I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.06 Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.07 There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.08 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:09 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:010 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.011 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.012 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.013 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.014 For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.015 Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him.016 For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me:017 Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.
Job 31
01 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?02 For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?03 Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?04 Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?05 If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit ;06 Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity .07 If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;08 Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.09 If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door;010 Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.011 For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.012 For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.013 If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;014 What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?015 Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?016 If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;017 Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;018 (For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother’s womb;)019 If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;020 If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;021 If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless , when I saw my help in the gate:022 Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.023 For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.024 If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;025 If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;026 If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;027 And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:028 This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.029 If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:030 Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul.031 If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.032 The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.033 If I covered my transgressions as Adam , by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:034 Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?035 Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.036 Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.037 I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.038 If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;039 If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:040 Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
Job 38
01 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,02 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?03 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.04 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth ? declare, if thou hast understanding.05 Who hath laid the measures thereof , if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?06 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;07 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy ?08 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?09 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,010 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,011 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?012 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;013 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?014 It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.015 And from the wicked their light is withholden , and the high arm shall be broken.016 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?017 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?018 Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.019 Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,020 That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?021 Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?022 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,023 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?024 By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?025 Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;026 To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;027 To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?028 Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?029 Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?030 The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.031 Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion ?032 Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?033 Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven ? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?034 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?035 Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?036 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?037 Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,038 When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?039 Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,040 When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?041 Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.
Job 4
01 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,02 If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?03 Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.04 Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.05 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.06 Is not this thy fear, thy confidence , thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?07 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent ? or where were the righteous cut off?08 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.09 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.010 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.011 The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad.012 Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.013 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,014 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.015 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:016 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence , and I heard a voice , saying,017 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?018 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:019 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay , whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?020 They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.021 Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.
Job 42
01 Then Job answered the Lord , and said,02 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.03 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.04 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.05 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.06 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes .07 ¶ And it was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.08 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering ; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.09 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the Lord commanded them: the Lord also accepted Job.010 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends : also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.011 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.012 So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.013 He had also seven sons and three daughters.014 And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch.015 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.016 After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations.017 So Job died, being old and full of days.
Job 8
01 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,02 How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?03 Doth God pervert judgment ? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?04 If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;05 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;06 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.07 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.08 For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age , and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:09 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)010 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?011 Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?012 Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.013 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:014 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web.015 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.016 He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.017 His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.018 If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.019 Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.020 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:021 Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.022 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame ; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.
1.I know that my Redeemer lives. What comfort this sweet sentence gives! He lives, he lives, who once was dead. He lives, my ever-living Head. He lives to bless me with his love. He lives to plead for me above. He lives my hungry soul to feed. He lives to bless in time of need.
Verse
2.He lives to grant me rich supply. He lives to guide me with his eye. He lives to comfort me when faint. He lives to hear my soul’s complaint. He lives to silence all my fears. He lives to wipe away my tears. He lives to calm my troubled heart. He lives all blessings to impart.
Verse
3.He lives, my kind, wise heav’nly Friend. He lives and loves me to the end. He lives, and while he lives, I’ll sing. He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King. He lives and grants me daily breath. He lives, and I shall conquer death. He lives my mansion to prepare. He lives to bring me safely there.
Verse
4.He lives! All glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same. Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: “I know that my Redeemer lives!” He lives! All glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same. Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: “I know that my Redeemer lives!”
When we face the apparent tragedies of sorrow, suffering, and death, we must put our trust in God.
Early in his childhood, Spencer W. Kimball suffered the pain that comes with the death of loved ones. When he was eight years old, his sister Mary died shortly after her birth. A month later, Spencer’s parents sensed that five-year-old Fannie, who had been suffering for several weeks, would soon pass away. Spencer later told of the day Fannie died: “On my ninth birthday Fannie died in Mother’s arms. All of us children were awakened in the early night to be present. I seem to remember the scene in our living room … , my beloved mother weeping with her little dying five-year-old child in her arms and all of us crowding around.”1
Even more difficult for young Spencer was the news he received two years later, when he and his brothers and sisters were called home from school one morning. They ran home and were met by their bishop, who gathered them around him and told them that their mother had died the day before. President Kimball later recalled: “It came as a thunderbolt. I ran from the house out in the backyard to be alone in my deluge of tears. Out of sight and sound, away from everybody, I sobbed and sobbed. Each time I said the word ‘Ma’ fresh floods of tears gushed forth until I was drained dry. Ma—dead! But she couldn’t be! Life couldn’t go on for us. … My eleven-year-old heart seemed to burst.”2
Fifty years later, Elder Spencer W. Kimball, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, found himself far away from home, recovering from major surgery. Unable to sleep, he recalled the day his mother died: “I feel like sobbing again now … as my memory takes me over those sad paths.”3
Facing the deep sadness of such experiences, Spencer W. Kimball always found comfort in prayer and in the principles of the gospel. Even in his childhood, he knew where to turn to receive peace. A family friend wrote of young Spencer’s prayers—“how the loss of his mother weighed so heavily upon his little heart and yet how bravely he battled with his grief and sought comfort from the only source.”4
In his ministry, President Kimball frequently offered words of solace to those who mourned the loss of loved ones. He testified of eternal principles, assuring the Saints that death is not the end of existence. Speaking at a funeral, he once said:
“We are limited in our visions. With our eyes we can see but a few miles. With our ears we can hear but a few years. We are encased, enclosed, as it were, in a room, but when our light goes out of this life, then we see beyond mortal limitations. …
“The walls go down, time ends and distance fades and vanishes as we go into eternity … and we immediately emerge into a great world in which there are no earthly limitations.”5
In His wisdom, God does not always prevent tragedy.
The daily newspaper screamed the headlines: “Plane Crash Kills 43. No Survivors of Mountain Tragedy,” and thousands of voices joined in a chorus: “Why did the Lord let this terrible thing happen?”
Two automobiles crashed when one went through a red light, and six people were killed. Why would God not prevent this?
Why should the young mother die of cancer and leave her eight children motherless? Why did not the Lord heal her?
A little child was drowned; another was run over. Why?
A man died one day suddenly of a coronary occlusion as he climbed a stairway. His body was found slumped on the floor. His wife cried out in agony, “Why? Why would the Lord do this to me? Could he not have considered my three little children who still need a father?”
A young man died in the mission field and people critically questioned: “Why did not the Lord protect this youth while he was doing proselyting work?”
I wish I could answer these questions with authority, but I cannot. I am sure that sometime we’ll understand and be reconciled. But for the present we must seek understanding as best we can in the gospel principles.
Was it the Lord who directed the plane into the mountain to snuff out the lives of its occupants, or were there mechanical faults or human errors?
Did our Father in heaven cause the collision of the cars that took six people into eternity, or was it the error of the driver who ignored safety rules?
Did God take the life of the young mother or prompt the child to toddle into the canal or guide the other child into the path of the oncoming car?
Did the Lord cause the man to suffer a heart attack? Was the death of the missionary untimely? Answer, if you can. I cannot, for though I know God has a major role in our lives, I do not know how much he causes to happen and how much he merely permits. Whatever the answer to this question, there is another I feel sure about.
Could the Lord have prevented these tragedies? The answer is, Yes. The Lord is omnipotent, with all power to control our lives, save us pain, prevent all accidents, drive all planes and cars, feed us, protect us, save us from labor, effort, sickness, even from death, if he will. But he will not.
We should be able to understand this, because we can realize how unwise it would be for us to shield our children from all effort, from disappointments, temptations, sorrows, and suffering.
The basic gospel law is free agency and eternal development. To force us to be careful or righteous would be to nullify that fundamental law and make growth impossible.6
With an eternal perspective, we understand that adversity is essential to our eternal progression.
If we looked at mortality as the whole of existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put in proper perspective.
Is there not wisdom in his giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrows to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified?
If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith.
If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doer of good, there could be no evil—all would do good but not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency, only satanic controls.
Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our selfish desires and our limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or even death, and if these were not, there would also be no joy, success, resurrection, nor eternal life and godhood.
“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things … righteousness … wickedness … holiness … misery … good … bad. …” (2 Nephi 2:11.)
Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery. …
I love the verse of “How Firm a Foundation”—
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o’erflow
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
[See Hymns, no. 5]
And Elder James E. Talmage wrote: “No pang that is suffered by man or woman upon the earth will be without its compensating effect … if it be met with patience.”
On the other hand, these things can crush us with their mighty impact if we yield to weakness, complaining, and criticism.
“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven. …” (Orson F. Whitney)
There are people who are bitter as they watch loved ones suffer agonies and interminable pain and physical torture. Some would charge the Lord with unkindness, indifference, and injustice. We are so incompetent to judge! …
The power of the priesthood is limitless but God has wisely placed upon each of us certain limitations. I may develop priesthood power as I perfect my life, yet I am grateful that even through the priesthood I cannot heal all the sick. I might heal people who should die. I might relieve people of suffering who should suffer. I fear I would frustrate the purposes of God.
Had I limitless power, and yet limited vision and understanding, I might have saved Abinadi from the flames of fire when he was burned at the stake, and in doing so I might have irreparably damaged him. He died a martyr and went to a martyr’s reward—exaltation.
I would likely have protected Paul against his woes if my power were boundless. I would surely have healed his “thorn in the flesh.” [2 Corinthians 12:7.] And in doing so I might have foiled the Lord’s program. Thrice he offered prayers, asking the Lord to remove the “thorn” from him, but the Lord did not so answer his prayers [see 2 Corinthians 12:7–10]. Paul many times could have lost himself if he had been eloquent, well, handsome, and free from the things that made him humble. …
I fear that had I been in Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844, I might have deflected the bullets that pierced the body of the Prophet and the Patriarch. I might have saved them from the sufferings and agony, but lost to them the martyr’s death and reward. I am glad I did not have to make that decision.
With such uncontrolled power, I surely would have felt to protect Christ from the agony in Gethsemane, the insults, the thorny crown, the indignities in the court, the physical injuries. I would have administered to his wounds and healed them, giving him cooling water instead of vinegar. I might have saved him from suffering and death, and lost to the world his atoning sacrifice.
I would not dare to take the responsibility of bringing back to life my loved ones. Christ himself acknowledged the difference between his will and the Father’s when he prayed that the cup of suffering be taken from him; yet he added, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” [Luke 22:42.]7
Death can open the door to glorious opportunities.
For the one who dies, life goes on and his free agency continues, and death, which seems to us such a calamity, could be a blessing in disguise. …
If we say that early death is a calamity, disaster, or tragedy, would it not be saying that mortality is preferable to earlier entrance into the spirit world and to eventual salvation and exaltation? If mortality be the perfect state, then death would be a frustration, but the gospel teaches us there is no tragedy in death, but only in sin. “… blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. …” (See D&C 63:49.)
We know so little. Our judgment is so limited. We judge the Lord’s ways from our own narrow view.
I spoke at the funeral service of a young Brigham Young University student who died during World War II. There had been hundreds of thousands of young men rushed prematurely into eternity through the ravages of that war, and I made the statement that I believed this righteous youth had been called to the spirit world to preach the gospel to these deprived souls. This may not be true of all who die, but I felt it true of him.
In his vision of “The Redemption of the Dead” President Joseph F. Smith saw this very thing. … He writes:
“… I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth … but behold, from among the righteous He organized his forces … and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel. …
“… our Redeemer spent His time … in the world of spirits, instructing and preparing the faithful spirits … who had testified of Him in the flesh, that they might carry the message of redemption unto all the dead unto whom He could not go personally because of their rebellion and transgression. …
“I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption.” [See D&C 138:29–30, 36–37, 57.]
Death, then, may be the opening of the door to opportunities, including that of teaching the gospel of Christ.8
In times of trial, we must trust in God.
Despite the fact that death opens new doors, we do not seek it. We are admonished to pray for those who are ill and use our priesthood power to heal them.
“And the elders of the church, two or more, shall be called, and shall pray for and lay their hands upon them in my name; and if they die they shall die unto me, and if they live they shall live unto me.
“Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection.
“And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them;
“And they that die not in me, wo unto them, for their death is bitter.
“And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed.” (D&C 42:44–48.)
We are assured by the Lord that the sick will be healed if the ordinance is performed, if there is sufficient faith, and if the ill one is “not appointed unto death.” But there are three factors, all of which should be satisfied. Many do not comply with the ordinances, and great numbers are unwilling or incapable of exercising sufficient faith. But the other factor also looms important: If they are not appointed unto death.
Everyone must die. Death is an important part of life. Of course, we are never quite ready for the change. Not knowing when it should come, we properly fight to retain our life. Yet we ought not be afraid of death. We pray for the sick, we administer to the afflicted, we implore the Lord to heal and reduce pain and save life and postpone death, and properly so, but not because eternity is so frightful. …
Just as Ecclesiastes (3:2) says, I am confident that there is a time to die, but I believe also that many people die before “their time” because they are careless, abuse their bodies, take unnecessary chances, or expose themselves to hazards, accidents, and sickness. …
God controls our lives, guides and blesses us, but gives us our agency. We may live our lives in accordance with his plan for us or we may foolishly shorten or terminate them.
I am positive in my mind that the Lord has planned our destiny. Sometime we’ll understand fully, and when we see back from the vantage point of the future, we shall be satisfied with many of the happenings of this life that are so difficult for us to comprehend.
We sometimes think we would like to know what lies ahead, but sober thought brings us back to accepting life a day at a time and magnifying and glorifying that day. …
We knew before we were born that we were coming to the earth for bodies and experience and that we would have joys and sorrows, ease and pain, comforts and hardships, health and sickness, successes and disappointments, and we knew also that after a period of life we would die. We accepted all these eventualities with a glad heart, eager to accept both the favorable and unfavorable. We eagerly accepted the chance to come earthward even though it might be for only a day or a year. Perhaps we were not so much concerned whether we should die of disease, of accident, or of senility. We were willing to take life as it came and as we might organize and control it, and this without murmur, complaint, or unreasonable demands.
In the face of apparent tragedy we must put our trust in God, knowing that despite our limited view his purposes will not fail. With all its troubles life offers us the tremendous privilege to grow in knowledge and wisdom, faith and works, preparing to return and share God’s glory.9
Consider these ideas as you study the chapter or as you prepare to teach. For additional help, see pages v–ix
Why doesn’t the Lord protect us from all sorrow and suffering? (See pages 13–14.)
Study pages 15–16, looking for what we would miss if the Lord did not permit us to experience trials. How should we respond to our trials and suffering? How has the Lord strengthened you in your trials?
Read the paragraph that begins “There are people who …” on page 16. Why is it so difficult to see loved ones suffer? What can we do to avoid becoming bitter or discouraged at such times?
Review pages 16–20, looking for teachings about priesthood blessings. When have you witnessed the healing or comforting power of the priesthood? In what ways can we respond when we learn that it is not the Lord’s will for a loved one to be healed or for death to be postponed?
How would you explain President Kimball’s teachings about death to a child?
President Kimball taught, “In the face of apparent tragedy we must put our trust in God” (page 20). When a person trusts in God, what might he or she do in a time of trial?
In Edward L. Kimball and Andrew E. Kimball Jr., Spencer W. Kimball (1977), 43.
In Spencer W. Kimball, 46.
In Spencer W. Kimball, 46.
Joseph Robinson, in Spencer W. Kimball, 46.
The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball (1982), 40–41.
Faith Precedes the Miracle (1972), 95–96.
Faith Precedes the Miracle, 97–100.
Faith Precedes the Miracle, 100, 101, 102.
Faith Precedes the Miracle, 102–3, 105–6.
Spencer W. Kimball and his siblings, about two years before his sister Fannie died. Standing, left to right: Clare, Ruth, Gordon, and Delbert. Seated, left to right: Helen, Alice, Fannie, and Spencer.
“Had I limitless power, and yet limited vision and understanding, I might have saved Abinadi.”
First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
When our youngest daughter, Berkeley, was little, I started using reading glasses―the kind that zoom in and magnify everything. One day, as we sat together reading a book, I looked at her with love but also sadness because, suddenly, she seemed more grown up. I thought, “Where has the time gone? She’s so big!”
As I lifted my reading glasses to wipe away a tear, I realized, “Oh wait—she’s not bigger; it’s just these glasses! Never mind!”
Sometimes all we can see is that up-close, magnified view of those we love. Tonight, I invite you to zoom out and look through a different lens—an eternal lens that focuses on the big picture, your bigger story.
During humankind’s early push into space, the unmanned rockets had no windows. But by the Apollo 8 mission to the moon, the astronauts had one. While floating in space, they were struck by the power of seeing our earth and took this spectacular image, capturing the whole world’s attention! Those astronauts experienced a sensation so powerful it has been given its own name: the overview effect.
NASA
Viewing from a new vantage point changes everything. One space traveler said it “reduces things to a size that you think everything is manageable. … We can do this. Peace on earth—no problem. It gives people that type of energy … that type of power.”
As humans, we have an earthbound point of view, but God sees the grand overview of the universe. He sees all creation, all of us, and is filled with hope.
Is it possible to begin to see as God sees even while living on the surface of this planet—to feel this overview feeling? I believe we can, through the eye of faith, zoom out and view ourselves and our families with hope and joy.
The scriptures agree. Moroni speaks about those whose faith was so “exceedingly strong” that they “truly saw … with an eye of faith, and they were glad.”
With an eye focused on the Savior, they felt joy and knew this truth: because of Christ, it all works out. Everything you and you and you are worried about—it’s all going to be OK! And those who look with an eye of faith can feel that it’s going to be OK now.
I went through a rough patch my senior year in high school when I wasn’t making great choices. I remember seeing my mom crying, and I wondered if I’d disappointed her. At the time, I worried that her tears meant she’d lost hope for me, and if she didn’t feel hope for me, maybe there wasn’t a way back.
But my dad was more practiced at zooming out and taking the long view. He’d learned from experience that worry feels a lot like love, but it’s not the same. He used the eye of faith to see that everything would work out, and his hopeful approach changed me.
When I graduated from high school and went to BYU, my dad sent letters reminding me of who I was. He became my cheerleader, and everybody needs a cheerleader—someone who isn’t telling you, “You’re not running fast enough”; they’re lovingly reminding you that you can.
Dad exemplified Lehi’s dream. Like Lehi, he knew that you don’t chase after your loved ones who feel lost. “You stay where you are and call them. You go to the tree, stay at the tree, keep eating the fruit and, with a smile on your face, continue to beckon to those you love and show by example that eating the fruit is a happy thing!”
This visual image has helped me during low moments when I find myself at the tree, eating the fruit and crying because I’m worried; and really, how helpful is that? Instead, let’s choose hope—hope in our Creator and in one another, fueling our ability to be better than we are right now.
Shortly after Elder Neal A. Maxwell passed away, a reporter asked his son what he’d miss most. He said dinners at his parents’ house because he always left feeling like his dad believed in him.
This was around the time our adult children were starting to come home for Sunday dinners with their spouses. During the week, I found myself making lists in my mind of things I could remind them of on Sunday, like “Maybe try and help out more with the kids when you’re home” or “Don’t forget to be a good listener.”
When I read Brother Maxwell’s comment, I threw away the lists and silenced that critical voice, so when I saw my grown children for that brief time each week, I focused on the many positive things they were already doing. When our oldest son, Ryan, passed away a few years later, I remember being grateful our time together was happier and more positive.
Before we interact with a loved one, can we ask ourselves the question “Is what I’m about to do or say helpful or hurtful?” Our words are one of our superpowers, and family members are like human blackboards, standing in front of us saying, “Write what you think of me!” These messages, whether intentional or unintentional, should be hopeful and encouraging.
Our job is not to teach someone who’s going through a rough patch that they are bad or disappointing. On rare occasions we may feel prompted to correct, but most often let’s tell our loved ones in spoken and unspoken ways the messages they long to hear: “Our family feels whole and complete because you are in it.” “You will be loved for the rest of your life—no matter what.”
Sometimes what we need is empathy more than advice; listening more than a lecture; someone who hears and wonders, “How would I have to feel to say what they just said?”
Remember, families are a God-given laboratory where we’re figuring things out, so missteps and miscalculations are not just possible but probable. And wouldn’t it be interesting if, at the end of our lives, we could see that those relationships, even those challenging moments, were the very things that helped us to become more like our Savior? Each difficult interaction is an opportunity to learn how to love at a deeper level—a godlike level.
Let’s zoom out to view family relationships as a powerful vehicle to teach us the lessons we came here to learn as we turn to the Savior.
Let’s admit, in a fallen world there’s no way to be a perfect spouse, parent, son or daughter, grandchild, mentor, or friend—but a million ways to be a good one. Let’s stay at the tree, partake of the love of God, and share it. By lifting the people around us, we ascend together.
Unfortunately, the memory of eating the fruit is not enough; we need to partake again and again in ways that reposition our lens and connect us to the heavenly overview by opening up the scriptures, which are filled with light, to chase away the darkness, staying on our knees until our casual prayer turns mighty. This is when hearts soften, and we begin to see as God sees.
In these last days, perhaps our greatest work will be with our loved ones—good people living in a wicked world. Our hope changes the way they see themselves and who they really are. And through this lens of love, they’ll see who they will become.
But the adversary does not want us or our loved ones to return home together. And because we live on a planet that is bound by time and a finite number of years, he tries to perpetuate a very real sense of panic in us. It’s hard to see, when we’re zoomed in, that our direction matters more than our speed.
Remember, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Thankfully, the God we worship is not bound by time. He sees who our loved ones really are and who we really are. So He’s patient with us, hoping we’ll be patient with each other.
I will admit there are times when earth, our temporal home, feels like an island of sorrow—moments when I have one eye of faith and the other eye is weeping. Do you know this feeling?
I had it Tuesday.
Can we instead choose the faithful posture of our prophet when he promises miracles in our families? If we do, our joy will increase even if turbulence increases. He’s promising that an overview effect can be experienced now, regardless of our circumstances.
Having this eye of faith now is a recapturing, or an echo, of the faith we had before we came to this planet. It sees past the uncertainty of a moment, allowing us to “cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then … stand still.”
Is there something difficult in your life right now, something you’re worried can’t be resolved? Without the eye of faith, that might feel like God has lost oversight of things, and is that true?
Or maybe your greater fear is that you’re going to go through this difficult time all by yourself, but that would mean God has abandoned you, and is that true?
It is my witness that the Savior has the ability, because of His Atonement, to turn any nightmare you are going through into a blessing. He has given us a promise “with an immutable covenant” that as we strive to love and follow Him, “all things wherewith [we] have been afflicted shall work together for [our] good.”All things.
And because we are children of the covenant, we can ask for this hopeful feeling now!
While our families aren’t perfect, we can perfect our love for others until it becomes a constant, unchanging, no-matter-what kind of love—the type of love that supports change and allows for growth and return.
It’s the Savior’s work to bring our loved ones back. It’s His work and His timing. It is our work to provide the hope and a heart they can come home to. “We have neither [God’s] authority to condemn nor His power to redeem, but we have been authorized to exercise His love.” President Nelson has also taught that others need our love more than our judgment. “They need to experience the pure love of Jesus Christ reflected in [our] words and actions.”
Love is the thing that changes hearts. It is the purest motive of all, and others can feel it. Let’s hold fast to these prophetic words offered 50 years ago: “No home is a failure unless it quits trying.” Surely, those who love the most and the longest win!
In earthly families, we’re simply doing what God has done with us—pointing the way and hoping our loved ones will go in that direction, knowing the path they travel is theirs to choose.
And when they pass to the other side of the veil and draw close to that loving “gravitational pull” of their heavenly home, I believe it will feel familiar because of how they were loved here.
Let’s use that overview lens and see the people we love and live with as shared companions on this beautiful planet.
You and I? We can do this! We can hold on and hope on! We can stay at the tree and partake of the fruit with a smile on our face, letting the Light of Christ in our eyes become something others can count on in their darkest hours. As they see light manifest in our countenances, they will be drawn to it. We can then help refocus their attention to the original source of love and light, “the bright and morning star,” Jesus Christ.
I bear my testimony that this—all of this—is going to turn out so much better than we could ever imagine! With an eye of faith on Jesus Christ, may we see that everything will be all right in the end and feel that it will be all right now. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Anousheh Ansari, in “The Overview Effect and Other Musings on Earth and Humanity, according to Space Travelers,” cocre.co.
See Robert Frost, “Birches,” in Mountain Interval (1916), 39.
See Russell M. Nelson, “Joy and Spiritual Survival,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 81–84; see also Russell M. Nelson, “Let God Prevail,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 92–95.
President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
My dear brothers and sisters, I am deeply grateful to speak with you today. At my age, each new day brings wonderful as well as challenging surprises. Three weeks ago, I injured the muscles of my back. So, while I have delivered more than 100 general conference addresses standing, today I thought I would do so sitting. I pray that the Spirit will carry my message into your hearts today.
I recently celebrated my 99th birthday and thus commenced my 100th year of living. I am often asked the secret to living so long. A better question would be “What have I learned in nearly a century of living?”
Time today does not allow me to answer that question fully, but may I share one of the most crucial lessons I have learned.
I have learned that Heavenly Father’s plan for us is fabulous, that what we do in this life really matters, and that the Savior’s Atonement is what makes our Father’s plan possible.
As I have wrestled with the intense pain caused by my recent injury, I have felt even deeper appreciation for Jesus Christ and the incomprehensible gift of His Atonement. Think of it! The Savior suffered “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind” so that He can comfort us, heal us, rescue us in times of need. Jesus Christ described His experience in Gethsemane and on Calvary: “Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore.” My injury has caused me to reflect again and again on “the greatness of the Holy One of Israel.” During my healing, the Lord has manifested His divine power in peaceful and unmistakable ways.
Because of Jesus Christ’s infinite Atonement, our Heavenly Father’s plan is a perfect plan! An understanding of God’s fabulous plan takes the mystery out of life and the uncertainty out of our future. It allows each of us to choose how we will live here on earth and where we will live forever. The baseless notion that we should “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us” is one of the most absurd lies in the universe.
Here is the great news of God’s plan: the very things that will make your mortal life the best it can be are exactly the same things that will make your life throughout all eternity the best it can be! Today, to assist you to qualify for the rich blessings Heavenly Father has for you, I invite you to adopt the practice of “thinking celestial”! Thinking celestial means being spiritually minded. We learn from the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob that “to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.”
Mortality is a master class in learning to choose the things of greatest eternal import. Far too many people live as though this life is all there is. However, your choices today will determine three things: where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body with which you will be resurrected, and those with whom you will live forever. So, think celestial.
In my first message as President of the Church, I encouraged you to begin with the end in mind. This means making the celestial kingdom your eternal goal and then carefully considering where each of your decisions while here on earth will place you in the next world.
The Lord has clearly taught that only men and women who are sealed as husband and wife in the temple, and who keep their covenants, will be together throughout the eternities. He said, “All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise … have an end when men are dead.”
Thus, if we unwisely choose to live telestial laws now, we are choosing to be resurrected with a telestial body. We are choosing not to live with our families forever.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, how and where and with whom do you want to live forever? You get to choose.
When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement. It is also dependent upon your obedience to His laws. Obedience paves the way for a joyful life for you today and a grand, eternal reward tomorrow.
When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial! When tested by temptation, think celestial! When life or loved ones let you down, think celestial! When someone dies prematurely, think celestial. When someone lingers with a devastating illness, think celestial. When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial! As you recover from an accident or injury, as I am doing now, think celestial!
As you focus on thinking celestial, expect to encounter opposition. Decades ago, a professional colleague criticized me for having “too much temple” in me, and more than one supervisor penalized me because of my faith. I am convinced, however, that thinking celestial enhanced my career.
As you think celestial, your heart will gradually change. You will want to pray more often and more sincerely. Please don’t let your prayers sound like a shopping list. The Lord’s perspective transcends your mortal wisdom. His response to your prayers may surprise you and will help you to think celestial.
Consider the Lord’s response to Joseph Smith when he pleaded for relief in Liberty Jail. The Lord taught the Prophet that his inhumane treatment would give him experience and be for his good. “If thou endure it well,” the Lord promised, “God shall exalt thee on high.” The Lord was teaching Joseph to think celestial and to envision an eternal reward rather than focus on the excruciating difficulties of the day. Our prayers can be—and should be—living discussions with our Heavenly Father.
As you think celestial, you will find yourself avoiding anything that robs you of your agency. Any addiction—be it gaming, gambling, debt, drugs, alcohol, anger, pornography, sex, or even food—offends God. Why? Because your obsession becomes your god. You look to it rather than to Him for solace. If you struggle with an addiction, seek the spiritual and professional help you need. Please do not let an obsession rob you of your freedom to follow God’s fabulous plan.
Thinking celestial will also help you obey the law of chastity. Few things will complicate your life more quickly than violating this divine law. For those who have made covenants with God, immorality is one of the quickest ways to lose your testimony.
Many of the adversary’s most relentless temptations involve violations of moral purity. The power to create life is the one privilege of godhood that Heavenly Father allows His mortal children to exercise. Thus, God set clear guidelines for the use of this living, divine power. Physical intimacy is only for a man and a woman who are married to each other.
Much of the world does not believe this, but public opinion is not the arbiter of truth. The Lord has declared that no unchaste person will attain the celestial kingdom. So when you make decisions regarding morality, please think celestial. And if you have been unchaste, I plead with you to repent. Come unto Christ and receive His promise of complete forgiveness as you fully repent of your sins.
As you think celestial, you will view trials and opposition in a new light. When someone you love attacks truth, think celestial, and don’t question your testimony. The Apostle Paul prophesied that “in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”
There is no end to the adversary’s deceptions. Please be prepared. Never take counsel from those who do not believe. Seek guidance from voices you can trust—from prophets, seers, and revelators and from the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, who “will show unto you all things what ye should do.” Please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation.
As you think celestial, your faith will increase. When I was a young intern, my income was $15 a month. One night, my wife Dantzel asked if I was paying tithing on that meager stipend. I was not. I quickly repented and began paying the additional $1.50 in monthly tithing.
Was the Church any different because we increased our tithing? Of course not. However, becoming a full-tithe payer changed me. That is when I learned that paying tithing is all about faith, not money. As I became a full-tithe payer, the windows of heaven began to open for me. I attribute several subsequent professional opportunities to our faithful payment of tithes.
Paying tithing requires faith, and it also builds faith in God and His Beloved Son.
Choosing to live a virtuous life in a sexualized, politicized world builds faith.
Spending more time in the temple builds faith. And your service and worship in the temple will help you to think celestial. The temple is a place of revelation. There you are shown how to progress toward a celestial life. There you are drawn closer to the Savior and given greater access to His power. There you are guided in solving the problems in your life, even your most perplexing problems.
The ordinances and covenants of the temple are of eternal significance. We continue to build more temples to make these sacred possibilities become a reality in each of your lives. We are grateful to announce our plans to build a temple in each of the following 20 locations:
Savai’i, Samoa
Cancún, Mexico
Piura, Peru
Huancayo, Peru
Viña del Mar, Chile
Goiânia, Brazil
João Pessoa, Brazil
Calabar, Nigeria
Cape Coast, Ghana
Luanda, Angola
Mbuji-Mayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Laoag, Philippines
Osaka, Japan
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii
Fairbanks, Alaska
Vancouver, Washington
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Roanoke, Virginia
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
The Lord is directing us to build these temples to help us think celestial. God lives. Jesus is the Christ. His Church has been restored to bless all of God’s children. I so testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
It may prove to be easier to repent and progress spiritually here, while our spirit is united with our body, than in the next world between the time we die and are resurrected. As Amulek taught the apostate Zoramites, “This life is the time … to prepare to meet God” (see Alma 34:32–35).
See Mosiah 4:30, where King Benjamin admonishes his people, “If ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith … , ye must perish.”
Of course, your agency cannot override another’s agency and the attendant consequences. I was desperate to be sealed to my parents. However, I had to wait until they chose to be endowed, when they were more than 80 years of age. Then they were sealed as husband and wife, and we children were sealed to them.
The scriptures repeatedly testify that the gift of eternal life is only possible through the merits, mercy, and grace of the Savior Jesus Christ (see, for example, Moroni 7:41; see also 2 Nephi 2:6–8, 27).
1 Timothy 4:1. The next verse continues, “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (verse 2). Paul also declared that all who “live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
This is not to imply a cause-and-effect relationship. Some who never pay tithing attain professional opportunities, while some who pay tithing do not. The promise is that the windows of heaven will be opened to the tithe payer. The nature of the blessings will vary.
The book of Job describes a faithful man who experienced severe trials and afflictions. He lost his property, his children died, and he suffered great physical agony. Job’s friends came to mourn with and comfort him. When Job lamented his hardships, his friends accused him of wickedness in their misguided effort to defend God’s justice. Job argued against his friends’ accusations and testified of his Redeemer. The Lord appeared to Job and helped him see his trials from an eternal perspective. The Lord approved of Job’s faithfulness, chastised Job’s friends, and made the remainder of Job’s life more prosperous than it was before.
Note: The citation of a source not published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not imply that it or its author is endorsed by the Church or represents the official position of the Church.
What is the book of Job?
The book of Job describes the experiences of Job, a righteous man who endured immense suffering. Most of the book is written in poetic form, with a prologue and an epilogue in prose. A central theme of the book is the difficult question “Why do the righteous suffer?” Although the book never fully answers this question, it does clarify that trials and afflictions are not necessarily evidence that a person has sinned.
The book of Job can be divided as follows:
Job 1–2: In a prologue that begins the narrative, the Lord and Satan discuss Job’s faithfulness and prosperity. When the adversary claims that Job is righteous only because he is blessed, God allows Job to be afflicted. Job perseveres and remains faithful through the loss of his personal wealth, his children, and finally his own health.
Job 3–37: These chapters are presented in Hebrew poetry. Job laments his afflictions and wonders if it would have been better to never have been born. Three of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, speak with Job about his suffering. A younger man named Elihu arrives and offers his insights on the reasons for Job’s suffering.
Job 38–42: These chapters are also presented in poetry. The Lord appears and asks Job many questions, leading Job to consider the ultimate power and superiority of God. The Lord explains to Job that it is difficult for a mortal to see things from the Lord’s perspective. Job humbly submits to the Lord and His judgments.
Job 42: In a brief epilogue, the Lord blesses Job for his faithfulness. He grants Job double the possessions he lost, allows him to have the same number of children as before, and restores him to his former status. Job lives a long and full life.
Job was described as a “perfect and upright” man (Job 1:1). The Hebrew word translated as “perfect” can also mean “blameless,” “complete,” or “whole.” While Job was a devout follower of God, he was not without sin.
Job was likely not an Israelite. He is described as living in the land of Uz, which is sometimes associated with Edom. However, the book mentions no known historical events, which makes it difficult to discern exactly where and when Job lived. Some clues from the text suggest that Job may have lived around the same time as the patriarchs, in the second millennium BC.
The conversations between the Lord and Satan in the book of Job likely do not describe an actual interaction between them. These conversations are best understood as a poetic way of conveying Satan’s role as our adversary. The Hebrew word translated as “Satan” means “adversary” or “accuser.” When reading this account, it is important to remember that God has power over Satan. God only does that which is for the benefit of His children.
What did Job learn about the purpose of suffering?
Elder Dale G. Renlund observed that while the book of Job acknowledges that bad things happen to good people, it “never answers the why. Job learns that trusting God and not relying on his own understanding is the way to approach difficulties in life. These teachings encourage us to let God prevail so that we remain optimistic and hopeful despite challenges. …
“God in His wisdom knows that a vital part of our mortal experience is to not know everything. There is something about trusting Him that allows us to progress to become like Him.”
Job’s lament of cursing the day of his birth reflects his suffering and his struggle to understand his trials. It is similar to the cries of other biblical prophets and reflects themes found in other ancient Near Eastern texts about suffering. Despite his deep sorrow, Job did not fulfill the adversary’s prediction that he would curse God.
What might Job have meant when he said, “I know that my redeemer liveth”?
After describing what he felt was undeserved suffering, Job declared, “I know that my redeemer liveth.” In Old Testament times, a redeemer was someone—usually a relative—who was responsible for restoring a person’s possessions, status in society, or personal freedom. By testifying of his Redeemer, Job was expressing his faith that he would ultimately be vindicated and that justice would be restored.
Elder Dale G. Renlund taught:
“Job’s testimony of the Savior is inspiring thousands of years after he uttered it. He exclaimed:
“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth [Job 19:25]. …
“Jesus Christ loves to restore what we cannot restore, heal wounds we cannot heal, fix what is irreparably broken, and compensate for any unfariness we have endured.”
Although Job’s friends initially showed compassion, they eventually shifted their approach from comfort to accusation. Job’s friends believed the common misconception that suffering must be God’s punishment for disobedience. Eventually, the Lord called these three friends to repentance for their false ideas about His justice. In our day, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, has taught, “It is unworthy of us as Christians to think that those who suffer deserve their suffering.”
“Job was a good man who lost everything and suffered horribly. When his friends ‘consoled’ him, they presumed that Job must have grievously sinned to warrant such suffering.
“Job also believed that only sin caused suffering and wanted to prove to his friends and to God that his ‘punishment’ was out of proportion to sins he had committed. Such proof, he reasoned, would result in the cessation of his sufferings.
“Eventually, God spoke to Job from a whirlwind. God did not defend Himself, explain Job’s suffering, or respond to Job’s claims of innocence. Rather, God criticized the lengthy discussions of Job and his friends, saying, ‘Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?’ (Job 38:2). To highlight their ignorance, God posed at least 66 questions, demanding that Job answer them. Job could not. (See Job 38–42.)
“It was as if God had patiently and kindly said to Job, ‘If you cannot answer even one of my questions about the earth that I have created, is it possible that eternal laws exist that you do not understand? Are there assumptions you have made that are invalid? Do you understand my motives and how my plan of salvation and exaltation works? And can you foresee your future destiny?’ …
“Job grasped God’s message. He humbly acknowledged that he had not understood, and he repented of attributing his suffering to sin (see Job 42:3, 6). Job recognized that all suffering is not divine punishment. Because his suffering was not caused by sin, Job’s job was to trust God. No matter what, Job needed to remember that God ‘loveth his children’ even though Job did ‘not know the meaning of all things’ (1 Nephi 11:17).”
What occasion caused the children of God to shout for joy?
The Lord asked Job to consider who created the earth and where Job was when the earth was created. The Lord then spoke of a time during the premortal existence “when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” These shouts of joy occurred during the Council in Heaven when Heavenly Father presented His plan for our progression. Regarding this period, President Thomas S. Monson taught: “We lived before our birth into mortality. In our premortal state, we were doubtless among the sons and daughters of God who shouted for joy because of the opportunity to come to this challenging yet necessary mortal existence. We knew that our purpose was to gain a physical body, to overcome trials, and to prove that we would keep the commandments of God.”
In His words to Job, the Lord mentioned two large creatures—behemoth and leviathan—that symbolized untamable forces of nature. The Hebrew word behemoth is the plural form of “beast.” In the book of Job, the word is used to describe a large land animal, possibly a poetic reference to a hippopotamus or some mythological beast. A leviathan is a large sea creature. The word is possibly used as a poetic depiction of a crocodile or a mythological creature described in ancient Canaanite texts. The Lord referred to these creatures to help Job understand the great power God has over all of creation.
In the King James Version of the Bible, the word “myself” is italicized, which means it does not appear in the original Hebrew text. To make sense of this unclear passage, translators have often chosen to add the word “myself” to make Job the object of the verb abhor. However, the Hebrew verb translated as “abhor” can also mean to renounce or reject. Therefore, Job may have been saying, “Therefore do I recant [or renounce], and I repent in dust and ashes.” President Henry B. Eyring taught, “After Job repented of calling God unfair, Job was permitted to see his trials in a higher and holier way.”
Job Prospers Again, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
The book of Job is considered wisdom literature, a type of poetry that explores deep philosophical questions and offers timeless advice. The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are other examples of wisdom literature in the Old Testament (see Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, 221; “Proverbs; Ecclesiastes. What is wisdom literature?”).
See Guide to the Scriptures, “Job,” Gospel Library.
See Tremper Longman III and Mark L. Strauss, The Baker Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words (2023), “Blameless, Blamelessness,” 101.
See Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and others, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament: An Illustrated Reference for Latter-day Saints (2009), 242. The book’s poetic structure has led some to wonder if Job was a fictional character (see John S. Tanner, “Hast Thou Considered My Servant Job?,” in Sperry Symposium Classics: The Old Testament, ed. Paul Y. Hoskisson [2005], 267–69). However, because both the scriptures and modern prophets treat Job as a real historical figure, we can have confidence in his existence (see Doctrine and Covenants 121:10; Ezekiel 14:14, 20; James 5:11).
See J. D. Douglas and Merrill C. Tenney, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary, rev. ed. (2011), 743.
See Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, 222.
See Dana M. Pike, “Biblical Hebrew Words You Already Know and Why They Are Important,” Religious Educator, vol. 7, no. 3 (2006), 105–6. The opening scene of Job depicts Jehovah gathered in the heavenly court with the sons of God (the phrase “sons of God” is changed to “children of God” in the Joseph Smith Translation of Job 1:6). This gathering is what many scholars refer to as the “divine council” (Holzapfel and others, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament, 262). The text states that Satan attended this council as well. In the Hebrew and some other translations, Satan is called “the Satan.” This may indicate that the adversary in this account was an adversarial member of the divine council rather than Satan himself (see Harold W. Attridge and others, eds., The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version, Including the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books [2006], 694, note on Job 1:6; Coogan and others, The New Oxford Annotated Bible, 736, note on Job 1:6–12).
In addition to Job’s lamentations, Job’s account also contains many powerful declarations of faith in the midst of his trials (see Job 1:20–22; 2:9–10; 13:15–16; 19:25–26; 23:10).
See Job 19:26–29. See also Kenneth L. Barker and others, eds., NIV Study Bible: Fully Revised Edition (2020), 849, note on Job 19:25; Coogan and others, The New Oxford Annotated Bible, 753–54, note on Job 19:23–27.
Job’s friends believed a concept known as the retribution principle—the idea that the righteous prosper and the wicked suffer (see Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, 4th ed. [2023], 289–90).
Job 38:7. See also Neal A. Maxwell, “Called and Prepared from the Foundation of the World,” Ensign, May 1986, 36; Daniel L. Belnap, “In the Beginning: Genesis 1‒3 and Its Significance to the Latter-day Saints,” in From Creation to Sinai: The Old Testament through the Lens of the Restoration, ed. Daniel L. Belnap and Aaron P. Schade (2021), 15–16.
Thomas S. Monson, “He Is Risen!,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 88.
See Barker and others, NIV Study Bible, 874. See also Bible Dictionary, “Behemoth,” “Leviathan”; Mack C. Stirling, “Job: An LDS Reading,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, vol. 45 (2021), 165–66.
See Longman and Strauss, Baker Expository Dictionary, “Despise,” 225–26.
See Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (2019), 3:577, Job 42:6.
One day many of Job’s animals were stolen. Later a fire burned all Job’s property and killed all his servants and other animals. Then a storm knocked down Job’s son’s house. Job’s children were inside, and they all died. Job and his wife had nothing left but their health.
The Lord spoke to Job and showed him the earth, the stars, and all living things. The Lord taught Job an important lesson. All things were created to help Heavenly Father’s children learn about His Son Jesus Christ and follow Him.
Job repented and asked the Lord to forgive him for doubting. He promised to trust the Lord. The Lord knew that Job loved Him. He healed Job and blessed him with more children and twice as much wealth as he had before.
Come, Follow Me Resources for Children: Old Testament 2026
August 10–16
You can use these additional resources for children to help teach from each week to study the Old Testament using Come, Follow Me. Choose whichever stories, activities, or videos work best for you.
Job 1–2 ; 12 ; 19 — Faith in Jesus Christ will help me during hard times.
Encourage your children to tell you what they know about Job. If they need help, you could point them to Job 1:1, 13–22; 2:7–10 or to “Job” (in Old Testament Stories, 145–47). How did Job respond to challenges? (see Job 1:21; 2:10).
Job was faithful in his challenges because of what he knew about the Lord. Maybe you and your children could look at pictures of Jesus Christ interacting with others (such as the one below or pictures in the Gospel Art Book). Talk about what you know about Him and what He is like. Here are some verses that show what Job knew about the Lord: Job 12:10, 13, 16; 19:25–27. Why is it valuable to know these things about Him?
Job 14:14 — Because of Jesus Christ, I will live again after I die.
Job asked an important question in Job 14:14. Maybe you and your children could take turns sharing how you would answer Job. You could look for ideas in Alma 11:42–44, in the video “In a Coming Day” (Gospel Library), or in a song about the Resurrection, such as “Did Jesus Really Live Again?” (Children’s Songbook, 64).
Job 16:1–5 ; 22:5 — Good friends uplift and encourage each other.
When Job was sad, his friends said that God was punishing him because he had sinned (see Job 22:5). If we were Job’s friends, how would we try to help him? How can our words help others when they are sad? (see Job 16:5). Consider showing one or more of the pictures in this outline as you discuss these questions.
Consider asking your children to list some qualities of a good friend and to name a friend who has these qualities. Then you could look at a picture of Jesus Christ. In what ways is Jesus a good friend to each of us? You might think of someone who’s going through a hard time. Plan how you will be a Christlike friend to them.
Job 19:23–27 — Jesus Christ is my Redeemer.
After reading Job 19:23–27, you and your children could talk about how you know that our Redeemer lives. You might work together to put your testimony (or drawings of the Savior) in a book (see verse 23).
You could also sing a song that testifies of the Savior, such as “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (Hymns, no. 136). Share phrases from the hymn that strengthen your faith in Him. Why is it important to know that Jesus Christ lives?
For more, see this month’s issue of the Friend magazine.
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