Job 13:13-19. Job is defending himself and repling to his friends' implication that Job must have done something wrong to deserve all of the suffering he is going through. Job says let there be silence for a while and he will speak, he will defend himself, even to God. Job knows that he is putting his life on the line, and that he cannot lie to God, but he is prepared, he will defend his ways to God's face. That will be his salvation, for an unrighteous person would not do so. Job knows that he will be vindicated before God.

We all suffer at times in ways that clearly are unfair. We know that we have not done anything to deserve this level of suffering, and we often have friends like Job's who try to offer solutions, ways that we can better ourselves to ease our pain. These friends just make matters worse. When this has happened to me, I yearn, like Job, for the chance to defend myself before God. He is the only one I am really interested in pleasing, and He is the only one who understands the injustice of my pain (plus, I would really like to ask Him to get my "friends" to be quiet for a little while!🙂) but I don't have to plead my case before God, He already knows! He knows me intimately, just as He knows everyone intimately, and He alone knows why I have been chosen to suffer these misfortunes. He knows that it all be for good in the end. It is not necessary for me to defend myself nor right for me to question Him. I just must trust Him and continue to love Him (as well as my well-meaning but unintentionally hurtful friends)!