How Do We Know That God’s Perspective Is Greater Than Our Own?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to the book of Job in a lesson titled “Yet Will I Trust in Him.” The following information introduced the lesson. 

It’s natural to wonder why bad things happen to good people—or, for that matter, why good things happen to bad people. Why would God, who is just, allow that? The book of Job explores questions like these. Job was one of those good people to whom a lot of bad things happened. Because of Job’s trials, his friends wondered if he really was good after all. Job asserted his own righteousness and wondered if God really is just after all. But despite his suffering and wondering, Job maintained his integrity and faith in Jesus Christ. In the book of Job, faith is questioned and tested but never completely abandoned. That doesn’t mean all the questions are answered. But the book of Job teaches that until they are answered, questions can coexist with faith. And regardless of what happens in the meantime, we can say of our Lord, “Yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15).

The book of Job teaches several principles, including (1) I can trust God in all circumstances (Job 1-3; 12-13). (2) Jesus Christ is my Redeemer (Job 19). (3) “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold (Job 21-24). (4) God’s perspective is greater than mine (Job 38-40; 42). This essay will discuss principle #4 about God’s perspective, but I first wish to discuss the question posed in the introduction.

Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? I have. I was about 11 or 12 years old when my oldest sister – 11 years older than me – gave birth to a baby – named Gary John -- who died when he was 24 hours old. He had a problem with his lungs – like the baby of President John F. Kennedy at about the same time.

In August 1963, First Lade Jacqueline Kennedy experienced premature labor pains and was rushed to the hospital. JFK was notified, and he dropped everything to go to the hospital. Patrick Bouvier Kennedy was born, and fear soon overcame celebration.

Patrick was born with Hyaline Membrane Disease (now known as Infant Respiratory Distress Syndrome). A glassy substance coated his lungs and made breathing impossible because the lungs could not expand to absorb oxygen, causing slow motion suffocation. However, most babies born with this problem survive today.

Like the Kennedy family, my immediate and extended family mourned the death of an innocent baby. As a child/young woman, I pondered his death for months. I knew that my sister and her husband were righteous, and I wondered why God did not bless them with a healthy baby. I understand why Job and others ask questions, such as why do bad things happen to good people.

Although we do not know much about Job, we know that he was a real man. When the Prophet Joseph Smith and his companions suffered in the Liberty Jail, he cried out to the Lord for help. As part of His answer to Joseph, the Lord said, “Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:10).

Job was a good person who had a lot of bad things happen to him. Because of his trials, his friends wondered if he really was good after all. Job asserted his own righteousness and wondered if God really is just after all. But despite his suffering and questions, Job maintained his integrity and faith in Jesus Christ. In the book of Job, faith is questioned and tested but never completely abandoned. The author of Job did not answer all the questions, but the book of Job teaches that questions can coexist with faith until they are answered. Like Job, we can say of Jesus Christ, “Yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15).

We can trust God because His perspective is greater than ours. He sees the big picture, while we struggle with tunnel vision. Job’s friends accused him of sin (see Job 16:1-5; 19:1-3), causing Job to repeatedly ask God why he had to suffer so much (see Job 19:6-7; 23:1-9; 31). God did not give Job an obvious reason – at least it is unknown to us. However, the Lord taught Job an important message.

When the Lord finally spoke with Job, He asked Job where he was when the earth was created and other such questions. The Lord’s questions show that there was a premortal existence. There God taught His spirit children about His plan for their eternal happiness. The plan of salvation was developed before the foundations of the earth were laid. There “the morning stars sang together, and all of the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Heavenly Father selected Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and all the spirit children of God shouted for joy at the prospect of coming to earth and receiving physical bodies and experience unavailable in the spirit world.

After God gave Job a wider picture of His plan, Job understood that God’s perspective was greater than his own. Job better understood the nature of suffering and that man must sometimes endure suffering without understanding why. Because God’s perspective is greater than man’s, He knows and understands more than we do. Job was humbled, and at the end of the book of Job, he received greater blessings than he had in the beginning.