A Word from the Author
A Word from the
Author
“You have heard of the patience [endurance] of Job” (James 5:11).
Yes, many people have heard about Job and his trials; but not many people understand what those trials were all about and what God was trying to accomplish. Nor do they realize that Job suffered as he did so that God’s people today might learn from his experiences how to be patient in suffering and endure to the end.
When I decided to write about Job, I said to my wife, “I wonder how much suffering we’ll have to go through so I can write this book.” (I don’t want to write or preach in an impersonal and academic way. The Word has to become real to me, or I can’t make it real to others.) Little did we realize the trials that God would permit us to experience! But we can testify that God is faithful, He answers prayer, and He always has a wonderful purpose in mind (Jer. 29:11).
You too may have to go through the furnace in order to study the book of Job and really grasp its message. If so, don’t be afraid! By faith, just say with Job, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10 NIV). Gold fears no fire. Whatever we have that is burned up and left behind in the furnace wasn’t worth having anyway.
As we study the book of Job together, I trust that two things will be accomplished in your life: You will learn to be patient in your own trials, and you will learn how to help others in their trials. Your world is filled with people who need encouragement, and God may be preparing you for just that ministry. Either way, I hope this book helps you.
—Warren W. Wiersbe