In keeping with the times we face in our country and our world, today's readings talk about both despair and hope.

The first reading gives us Job, a man facing unspeakable suffering. "Is not man's life on earth a drudgery?" Job asks. "He is a slave who longs for the shade… So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me… I shall not see happiness again."

Many of us may be feeling like Job these days. Long days and sleepless nights are common when we are struggling to keep jobs, homes and savings. It can seem like it did for him that happiness will never come our way again. Job has lost hope, and many people today are low on hope for their personal lives as well.

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus visits the home of Simon and Andrew and heals Simon's ill mother-in-law. Soon, their home is filled with people seeking help. "When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons."

I don't know what it would be like to deal with all of the people in a community who are ill or possessed by demons. I would imagine, though, that many of these people felt, prior to their encounter with Jesus, a lot like Job did - defeated and hopeless. Jesus is able to heal the conditions that have made them feel so desperate.

The pairing of these two readings may be meant to encourage those of us who are plagued with feelings of desperation and hopelessness. If we are spiritually sick of heart, or suffering from some condition outside of our own control, we need help from someone who can control these things. Who can control the global economy, or the local job market? Who can control our ability to cope with difficulty in our lives?

Our faith and our experience tell us that God is bigger than the difficulties we face, and that God is the one who can heal what afflicts us. Jesus demonstrates this truth as he heals an entire community of suffering men, women and children.

"Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also," Jesus tells his followers, "for this purpose have I come." After healing of the suffering in a community, Jesus says, essentially, "This is why I'm here."

This is good news for those of us who are overwhelmed with our own suffering. Jesus' mission is to transform our lives, regardless of the size or severity of the challenges we face. None are bigger than God's love. None are more powerful than God. There is a great deal of reason for us to have, and maintain, hope.

Bill Peatman writes from Napa.