People who suffer deeply often turn to the Book of Job in the Bible. This book is about an innocent man who underwent great suffering: first he lost his assets, his children, all the things he held dear but his wife. Then he lost his health. He, once a prosperous pillar of the community, a faithful man of God, was reduced to sitting in the dust, covered in boils, helpless to help himself. Hearing of his great suffering, his friends came to sit with him. And there begins the real tale of Job.

And that is why people who suffer a crisis for no reason and then suffer cascading consequences from that crisis look to the Book of Job. They look there for an answer to that tough question: why do bad things happen to good people? It is unflinching in its answer.

But this book of prose and poetry is a long read and sometimes hard to understand. It’s helpful to have a guide with you. This is mine for you.