(Part 1) Lights Along the Way

During my life there have been several “special someones” whose thoughts, insights, and encouragement have shaped my ministry in profound ways. One such someone is G. Campbell Morgan. Through his writings, exposition of the Word, and faithful service to God and His church, G. Campbell Morgan served as a “lamp-lighter” along my journey toward faithful service of our Lord.

One such illuminating experience came during a time in my life when I was trying to make sense of God’s purposes in the midst of personal suffering. I was looking for a definitive answer from God. I wanted to know, “Is there any purpose in my plight?” But God seemed to be silent toward me in my hours of suffering.

Naturally, as we so often are in times of suffering, I was drawn to the book of Job for comfort, help, and answers. But what I found instead of answers was questions, questions, and more questions—77 of them in Job 38–41!

As I read and reread God’s inquiry of Job, it seemed to me that the Lord was saying, “Job, if I can keep this complicated universe going, will you trust your questions about the struggles and sufferings of life to a wise and good God?”

It was during this time of introspection that I picked up Morgan’s little paperback book The Answers of Jesus to Job and once again began to experience the beginnings of hope and courage as God used His Word and Morgan to shine the light of God’s truth on my situation.

As I made my way through Morgan’s little book, God used the old preacher’s exposition of the Scriptures to dispel the darkness of my pain by shedding light on the person of Jesus Christ.

What Morgan had done was simple, yet it powerfully impacted me and gently called my focus away from my pain and onto my Lord. Morgan identified nine “cries of Job” as he dialogued with God, and then he turned to the New Testament to reveal Jesus as the ultimate answer to all of Job’s cries, struggles, and questions.

1. The Cry for a Daysman (mediator)—Job 9:33 / Jesus—1 Timothy 2:5
2. The Inquiry as to Life—Job 14:14 / Jesus—John 11:25
3. The Witness in Heaven—Job 16:19 / Jesus—Hebrews 9:24
4. The Living Redeemer—Job 19:25 / Jesus—Hebrews 7:25
5. The Quest for God—Job 23:3 / Jesus—John 14:9
6. The Challenge to God—Job 31:35 / Jesus—Hebrews 12:22-24
7. The Discovery of Self—Job 40:4 / Jesus—Matthew 16:26; John 3:16
8. The Discovery of God—Job 42:5-6 / Jesus—Matthew 4:17
9. The Sense of Solution—Job 23:10 / Jesus—James 1:12

As you journey through struggles—whether your own or those of the precious ones you serve—remember that there is hope in Christ. Be wise and sensitive as you enter the darkness of another’s pain, but always be a light that points others to Jesus.

How has this worked or looked in your life and ministry in the past? When has it worked? When have you missed the mark?