Scripture & the Arts: Finding Our Way in the DarkSample

# Day 5: Waiting for the Light [IMAGE CONTENT] Safe Haven by Melissa Ruffino ## Waiting in Darkness Do you ever feel like life throws challenges at you from every side? Sometimes it seems like the hits just keep coming, darkness rolling in from every corner, no matter what you do. According to Scripture, Job was a man who knew sorrow well. Grief, poverty, and chronic illness surrounded him. Depression had taken root. In Job 17:11, he laments, “My hopes have disappeared. My heart’s desires are broken.” Job was a man who believed in God and walked in faith. Yet his faith did not protect him from the deep sorrows of this life. ## Empty Platitudes His friends came to sit with him, but they offered little comfort. “These men say that night is day; they claim that the darkness is light,” says Job in 17:12. The phrase "they make night into day" suggests that Job's friends are attempting to cover up or ignore the darkness of his situation with false optimism. Are they painting a rosy picture of the future? Or offering empty platitudes that do not address the reality of Job's suffering? Job quotes his friends directly as they declare that "the light is near to the darkness." This phrase refers to a time of relief after a period of suffering. But Job is not buying it. In their rush to skip over the darkness in Job’s life, his friends failed to console him; they only added to his suffering. ## Looking Toward the Light Yet, despite his suffering and misunderstandings, Job keeps a grip on his faith. In 17:3, Job prays, “You must defend my innocence, O God,” remembering that God loves justice and protects the innocent even in his darkest night. Despite his difficult circumstances, Job speaks of hope in God. How about you? Does your trust in God depend on the success in your life? Consider the painting above, Safe Haven by Melissa Ruffino. What stands out to you? For Melissa, the image “represents the search for the good within myself . . . . In the dark abstraction of the subconscious mind, I battle with my fears and doubts. I often forget that God is with me, guiding me.” Job’s journey reflects the emotional turmoil and spiritual struggle of faith in the face of his suffering. It highlights the tension between despair and trust in God's justice. And love wins; even in the darkness, Job is looking toward the Light! Do you ever notice tension between your feelings and your beliefs about God? How do you hold on to God’s promises during challenging times?