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Reading through Job is like riding a roller coaster: you know the cart will eventually return to the station, and you’ll step off exhilarated by the adventure you just experienced. But for Job—the rider—he has no idea if the “ride” will ever come safely to rest.

Today’s Bible reading—Job 14–16—felt like that kind of ride. Job is accused by his friends, yet he maintains his innocence (16:17). Even so, his words reveal a deep longing for death and an end to his suffering—more than a desire, almost a belief that death is the final end. In Job 14:10, he says, “A man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he?” The NIV translates this as, “But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more,” which may better capture the context. Job uses imagery of rivers drying up and lakes vanishing to illustrate the permanence of death. The phrase “till the heavens are no more” (v. 12) is a poetic way of saying “forever.”

But just as we feel the exhilaration of a roller coaster straightening out after a barrel loop, Job turns a corner in his thinking. He begins to question: What if there is life after death? He entertains the possibility that if he could live again, he might be received by God and have his sins atoned for. Later, in a future passage (one we’ll save for another day), Job does come or reveals his belief that he will see his Redeemer after death.

This reading helps me frame life’s ups and downs with the certainty that our “train” will return to the station. The Lover of our souls will make all things right. And because we know—spoiler alert—that Job’s blessings don’t delay until the afterlife, we can have hope today, no matter what present difficulties we face.

My friends, keep on pressing on no matter the curve, the loop, or the free fall you may be facing right now.