Job, in these bitter words... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

O that my grief were fully weighed, and my calamity laid with it on the scales! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea...
Job 6:2–3

Job, in these bitter words, thinks of balance scales: on one side, he places his vexation and calamity, and on the other, the sand of the seas. The pan with the suffering goes down. His anguish outweighs massive amounts of sand. For Job, his misery is so great that it cannot be outweighed by anything.

We see something different with the Apostle Paul. He writes, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17). Paul also puts many hardships in one “balance pan” of his life, but in the other, he places the eternal weight of glory. Here, the future joy outweighs the current difficulties.

Some suffering is almost unbearable. It cannot be offset by wise advice, deliberate distraction or a nice vacation. The weight of affliction is simply too much. To lift the side with suffering, the eternal weight of glory is needed. There is no other way.

Therefore, in your distress, think about the coming glory. Engage with what the Bible communicates about Christian hope. Then, like Paul, you can say,

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Today’s reading: Jeremiah 49:1-22 · Romans 13:11-14