The Struggle for Access to God

The saga of Job’s struggles began with God challenging Satan: “Have you considered My servant Job, a man blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil?” Satan shot back, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” In other words, can a man truly fear God without coercion? Can a man freely love God? Thus began the trials. First, he lost all his wealth and children, and did not waver in faith. Then he was afflicted with physical pain and social stigma, then depression, then the false accusations of his friends, and now the frustration of not being able to gain access to God, the silence of God in the face of his agonizing cries. Can a man be right before God when God seems far away and silent? How long can blind faith hold out? How can a man be right with a God he cannot see or access?