“And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil?” (Job 1:8)

By no fault of his own, Job lost his wealth, children and health. Even his friends were convinced that Job had brought this suffering upon himself. For Job, the greatest trial was not the pain or the loss; it was not being able to understand why God allowed him to suffer. Even though he had an abundance of admirable traits and earthly belongings, there were powers his possessions could not buy nor bind. Satan attempted to drive a wedge between Job and God by getting Job to believe that God’s governing of the world was not just. Satan was limited to what God allowed and had to ask God for permission to take some of Job’s most valued possessions.

The number seven (which is the symbolic number of completion) is referenced many times throughout the Bible. Job was tested in seven ways.

1. Economically – Job lost everything that he had, except his desire to serve God. He lost all of his possessions, business and even his employees.

2. Domestically – Job lost all of his children and his wife did not support him.

3. Physically – Job’s body was stricken with sores from his head to his toes.

4. Socially – Job’s relatives and his closest friends misjudged and forsook him, while trying to destroy or question his reputation.

5. Mentally – Job became very confused; he did not understand why the trials were so gruesome. Nevertheless, he persevered and adopted the mentality: Though God slay me yet will I serve Him.

6. Emotionally – Job became very depressed in the flesh. He wished that he was never born.

7. Spiritually – God did not speak to Job for several months. The only way to know and understand God’s purpose is to be still and be quiet. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways.

For seven days, Job’s friends were speechless; they were remorseful about seeing their friend in such bad condition. Job became depressed and wished that he were never born. When God sends a trial into your life, be still and know that it is God that is completing a process in you.

Through Job’s situation, we learn that Satan has limited power and there is a testimony as a result of every test.

1. God does permit suffering if it is His will.

2. Through adversities and storms man can become more righteous.

3. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. He is Jehovah Jireh and He can give you a double portion for your trouble. “God will restore unto you the years that the canker worms, the palmer worms and the locusts has eaten away.” (Joel 2:28)

4. “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed, when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

5. God knows how much we can handle.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

God knows all about our troubles and He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us if we stay in His will. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of His people from all over the earth.

6. As Christians, we do not have all the answers. In many ways God’s ways are a mystery to us. As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him:

“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Jesus, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:1-3)

7. We are imperfect by the world’s standard but God does not judge as the world judges. God examines the heart. We must offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2).

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.’ The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (Isaiah 16:7)

God wanted mankind to understand, like Job, that there are many who can go and have gone through the refiner’s fire and maintained their integrity in the midst of suffering.

By studying the story of Job, four key concepts about suffering with integrity become clearer:

Suffering – Pain can be, but is not always, a penalty for sin. In the same way, prosperity is not always a reward for being good. Those who love God are not exempt from trouble. Although we may not be able to understand fully the pain we experience, it can lead us to rediscover God.

We must learn to recognize and not fear Satan’s attacks because Satan cannot exceed the limits that God sets. Do not let any experience drive a wedge between you and God. Although you cannot control how Satan may attack, you can always choose how you will respond when it happens.

God’s goodness — God represents eternal wisdom and peace. His will is perfect, yet he does not always act in ways that we understand. Job’s suffering did not make any sense because everyone believed good people were supposed to always prosper. People of that time had a simplistic view of God in which they thought those who pleased Him were blessed and those who disappointed Him were punished. When Job was at the point of despair, God spoke to him, showing him his great power and wisdom.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Job held fast to his belief, not knowing when, not knowing how, but knowing that someday, someway he was coming out of his situation.

God has to break us sometimes to mold us into the vessel that He wants to use in His kingdom. He is not pleased when we put on façades to please the world and people. He is not looking for those who will uplift Him and His kingdom at their convenience. God is looking for people that are willing to be broken in order to serve and glorify Him. Our purpose is to line up our will with God’s will. When we do this, we are empowered by the grace, wisdom and Spirit of the Almighty.

Pride – Job’s friends were certain that they were correct in their judgment of him. God rebuked them for their pride and arrogance. Man’s wisdom is always partial and temporary. Job’s friends were of the opinion that he wanted to confess his wrong doings, but his pride would not allow him to do so. Although Job’s friends were appealing to hear a story that did not exist, the good news is, God knows your heart.

“And he said unto them Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15)

Job may not have had answers, but while maintaining his innocence he had assurance that:

“He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife; but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool; but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.” (Proverbs 28:25-26)

The Bible addresses pride in Proverbs and teaches that one must be careful of how personal material is adhered to. God has reminded us that a “haughty spirit comes before a fall and pride before destruction.” A person’s character is more impressive when they do not use their success or material possessions to persuade, control and manipulate others.

“When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and He shall save the humble person.” (Job 22:29)

We must be careful not to judge others who are suffering. We may be demonstrating the sin of pride. We must be cautious in maintaining the certainty of our own conclusions about how God treats us. Convincing ourselves that the judgments we make about God and others are correct is an example of the pride that God detests.

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocence blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Trust – God alone knew the purpose behind Job’s suffering and yet he chose not to explain it to Job. In spite of this, Job never gave up on God, even in the midst of suffering. He did not place his hope in his experience, his wisdom, his friends or his wealth. Job focused on God.

Although God is always near us, at times he may seem far away. Our human nature may cause us to feel alone and to doubt that God cares for us. We should serve God at all times for who He is and not serve him based on how we feel. Emotions are transient while the essence of God is permanent. It is always important to remember that He is never insensitive to our suffering. Because God is sufficient, we must hold on to Him.

Although Job had passed the test of fidelity and although he knew himself to be a man of integrity, he still had difficulty that was impossible to remove. Confused, discouraged and almost desperate, Job cries out in each rebuttal with intensity:

“Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee. Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid. Then call thou and I will answer: or let me speak and answer thou me. How many are mine iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin. Wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest me for thine enemy?” (Job 13:20-24)

Job exhibited the kind of unwavering trust we should have in the Lord. When everything is stripped away, we should recognize that God is all we ever really had. We should not demand that God explain everything. God gives us Himself but not all the details of His plans.