Job

When you talk about people in the Bible who suffered, who do you think about the most? Many people may think about Job. Job lost all his riches ( Job 1:14–17 📖 ). Job also lost his children ( Job 1:18, 19 📖 ) and his health. His wife then tried to convince him to “speak evil things against him [God] and die!” ( Job 2:9, NIrV 📖 ).

After some time, Job’s friends came to visit him. They were so surprised when they saw Job. They couldn’t say anything. They sat silent with him for seven days ( Job 2:13 📖 ). Finally, when the friends spoke, they tried to explain his suffering and misfortune. But their words only made Job feel worse. Three of Job’s friends blamed him. They told Job they believed that a sin he did in secret caused his suffering. Job’s friends told him to confess the sin to God and stop doing it ( Job 8, 11, 15 📖 ). A friend said, “ ‘I know that this [all Job’s troubles, loss, and suffering] is what happens to the homes of evil people. It happens to people who turn away from God’ ” ( Job 18:21 📖 , EASY).

Read Job 19:23–27 and Job 23:8–12 📖 . How did Job answer?

Job didn’t know why he suffered. But he kept his faith and didn’t blame God: “ ‘When I was born, I had nothing. When I die, I will take nothing with me. The Lord has given me all the things that I have. The Lord may choose to take those things away. I will continue to praise the name of the Lord!’ ” ( Job 1:21 📖 , EASY).

Satan also causes us pain, suffering, loss, and hardship. He wants to destroy our faith in a loving God. We can answer in one of two ways: (1) We can blame God and reject Him. Or (2) we can hold on to God tightly with all our might. We must remember that our troubles in this life are short when compared to living forever with God ( 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 📖 ). Much more is happening in the fight between good and evil than we can see now. So, we must continue to trust in God in dark times. We must hold tight to His love, even when we may not feel it.

If you are in the middle of a hard time, go to God right now. Take your Bible and a notebook. Sit out in nature with God. Copy Romans 5:3–5 📖 . Think about the different messages in these verses. Believe that you can trust completely in God’s love and care for you.