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The example of Job
Job 2:1-10
"So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
(Job 2:7-10)
We often struggle with questions when things turn against us. Family members are taken from us, often in meaningless, senseless tragic ways. Jobs are lost. Homes burn down. Diseases strike us down in the prime of health. At times like these, we often lash out at God. Yet Job, struck with one disaster after another, had a different perspective. He recognized that God, in His infinite wisdom, has a right to affect our lives in whatever way suits His own perfect purpose, not ours. What a lesson for us.
Even though he didn't understand why he was suffering, Job did not for an instant let up on his principles. God uses Job's integrity to show Satan that faith can be strong enough to withstand Satan's attacks. Job's suffering must have been enormous.
Even his own wife wanted him to give up. "Are you still holding on to your integrity?" she asked him, astonished that his anguish did not cause a slide into sin. So often we see people justify immoral decisions on grounds of suffering or poverty, like Christians who support abortion or euthanasia. Their goal is pure, but their methods are wrong because they ignore God's will. Job did not let up on his convictions for even a moment. He was a man of principles who honored God despite circumstances.
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