The good, the bad and the hopeful

Allan Bartlam | Job 29:1-17 | Job 30:9-10, 30:16-23, 31:35-37 

‘How I long for the months gone by,
  for the days when God watched over me,
when his lamp shone on my head
  and by his light I walked through darkness!
Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
  when God's intimate friendship blessed my house,
when the Almighty was still with me
  and my children were around me.’
...
‘I cry out to you, God,
  but you do not answer;
I stand up,
  but you merely look at me.
You turn on me ruthlessly;
  with the might of your hand you attack me.’
...
‘Oh, that I had someone to hear me!’

Job contrasts the blessedness of his former life - maybe it was not quite as perfect as he remembers it? - with the agony of his present state. As Allan explains, most of us experience a mixture of the two, but we can learn from Job's honesty.

The recording includes the readings from Sarah Trinder and ends with a short reflection from Cathie Bartlam.