What other biblical figures experienced similar despair as described in Job 30:15? Job 30:15 — A Snapshot of Overwhelming Loss “Terrors are turned upon me; my dignity is driven away as by the wind, and my prosperity vanishes like a cloud.” Others Who Echoed Job’s Cry • David – Psalm 55:4-5; 69:1-3 “My heart murmurs within me, and the terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling grip me, and horror has overwhelmed me.” • Moses – Numbers 11:14-15 “I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me… please kill me right now… and do not let me see my own misery.” • Elijah – 1 Kings 19:4 “Enough! Now, O LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” • Heman the Ezrahite – Psalm 88:3-6 “My soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near Sheol… You have laid me in the lowest Pit, in the darkest depths.” • Jeremiah – Lamentations 3:17-18 “My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, ‘My strength has perished along with my hope from the LORD.’” • Naomi – Ruth 1:20-21 “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me… the LORD has brought me back empty.” • Jonah – Jonah 4:3 “And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” • Paul – 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 “We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death…” Common Threads in Their Struggles • A sense of abandonment or isolation • Physical or emotional exhaustion • Loss of status, security, or loved ones • An honest, unfiltered cry to God How God Met Them in the Darkness • Restoration of perspective (David, Psalm 73:23-26) • Renewed strength and assignment (Elijah, 1 Kings 19:15-18) • Provision of faithful companions (Moses with the seventy elders, Numbers 11:16-17) • Future fruitfulness after bitterness (Naomi, Ruth 4:14-17) • Comfort that overflows to others (Paul, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Even in the bleakest chapters, Scripture shows the Lord drawing near, redirecting, and redeeming—turning the same winds that stripped dignity from His servants into breezes that carry fresh hope. |
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