And how small a whisper we hear of Him! — Job 26:14
Author's Preface
Indeed these are the mere edges of His
ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
— Job 26:14
After completing the volume on Job in the The Communicator's Commentary, I was so full of my subject that I wanted to share my insights with other people. At the risk of oversimplifying one of the most profound books of the Bible, I put together a series on the Book of Job that included "How Righteousness Works, How Suffering Hurts, How Faith Grows, How God Speaks, and How Grace Transforms." The response to these messages in conferences and seminars overwhelmed me. In more than thirty years of public ministry, I had never struck such a responsive chord of human need. People literally swamped me with questions that revealed the intriguing nature of the Book of Job as well as the nagging reality of their own suffering.
Then and there, I decided that I would write a sequel to this commentary — smaller, less formal, and more personalized. The real difference between the two books, however, is found in the beginning and ending. The commentary begins with the introduction of Job, the perfect man. This book begins with the human questions that all who suffer will ask, "Why me? Why this? Why now?" Whenever I ask these questions in a public setting, heads nob and eyes light up. Whatever the circumstances of our suffering — physical, emotional, intellectual, social, or spiritual — the questions are the same. While Job may be too perfect for us in his righteousness, we immediately identify with him when he suffers and screams "Why?" Here we stand on common ground with all humanity. Here this book begins.
After I finished writing the commentary on Job I could not
