Reflection: Terry
Voice: Li Huan
Curse God and die?
Audio
Today is Tuesday, 10th of June. Take a moment to be still in His presence.
The psalm appointed for today is Psalm 133
1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
The Scripture Reading is taken from Job 2: 7-10
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Reflection
We continue from yesterday’s reflection on Job chapter 1. In chapter 2, Satan strikes again—this time with personal, physical suffering. Job is afflicted with painful sores that cover his entire body, from head to toe. Not one part was spared. The agony was so intense and relentless that Job turned to shards of broken pottery, scraping at his skin in desperation to relieve the torment.
This marks the beginning of a deeper descent into suffering. It moves from loss of possessions and children to pain in his own flesh. And the trials aren’t only physical—they soon extend to his closest relationships.
Instead of offering comfort, Job’s wife delivers a devastating blow:
“Curse God and die.”
In her despair, she urges him to give up—to abandon his integrity, renounce his faith, and welcome death.
C.S. Lewis once observed that “the real pain in suffering is often not for the one who suffers, but for the one who watches.”
The bystander—untouched by the suffering themselves—may be more prone to doubt, resentment, or theological collapse. Job’s wife, watching helplessly as her husband wasted away, likely spoke from grief, confusion, and a heart broken by witnessing unbearable pain.
But Job replies with quiet, unwavering faith:
“Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”
Some may wrestle with the phrasing—does God really give evil?—but Job’s heart here is clear: he will not turn on God when life turns against him. His worship was not based on comfort, nor his trust on blessings. His relationship with God was not transactional.
In the first two chapters of Job, we’re given a rare glimpse behind the curtain—God, in His sovereign wisdom, allows Satan to test Job. Job knows he has received good from the Lord. Now, he believes he must also accept suffering—even if he cannot fully understand it.
His wife’s counsel was, essentially: Give up. Curse God, and let death end your suffering. But Job refuses. He will not let pain redefine his posture toward God.
His body may fail, his life unravel, his loved ones misunderstand—but his heart remains steadfast.
Reflection Questions:
- How do you respond when suffering enters your life unexpectedly?
- Is your faith built on God’s gifts, or on God Himself?
- What might it look like to remain faithful even when answers don’t come?
We end with this Collect
O most loving Father, who wiliest us to give thanks for all things,
to dread nothing but the loss of thee,
and to cast all our care on thee who carest for us:
Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties,
and grant that no clouds of this mortal life
may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal.
Amen
Be blessed by this hymn, It is well with my soul
When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul!”
It is well with my soul!
It is well, it is well with my soul!
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to His Cross, and I bear it no more;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live;
If dark hours about me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Daily Devotion 
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