Job 2:3-10 (NIV)
"Then the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason. Skin for skin! Satan replied. A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face. The LORD said to Satan, Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life. 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 is a hero of the Bible because of his steadfast faith in the face of great loss and suffering. The sincerity of his faith is even more apparent because of his great wealth in goods and family. The loss of his children, the loss of his wealth, the urgings of his wife to turn away from God, and even accusations from his friends did not cause Job to lose his faith in God. In fact, he went as far as saying, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21). And also, "Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him" (Job 13:15). His faith was rock solid, rather than made of paper. Such loyalty to God under fire stands as a shining example to us all!

As we travel through life we experience good times as well as bad. Fortune comes our way as well as misfortune. But sometimes evil comes our way. The type of evil that comes as a result of tragedy or trauma. It turns life upside down. It is like a flood that threatens to drown out all light and life. In times like these we discover how strong our faith in God is. We find out whether our faith will enable us to endure the darkness until the dawn, or be tossed away and destroyed in the storm. We need to have the kind of faith that helps us to persevere when suffering trials. To stand firm even when everything else is falling around us. In essence, we need to have the faith of Job.

While the faith we have is a gift from God, it will become ineffective if we fail to stay in a close relationship with Christ. If our walk with Jesus is far apart, then our faith can be easily shaken by things like the cares and pursuits, and troubles and trials of life. So how do we have the kind of steadfast trust in God that Job had? By spending time getting to know Jesus better through prayer, the reading of His word, and the loving and forgiving of others as He loves and forgives us. In summary, by making Him the center of our lives.

If we live our lives in this manner, then we will be able to maintain our faith, loyalty, and trust in God no matter what life throws at us. We will have the faith of Job. May the Lord help us to trust in Him in days of fortune as well as misfortune, in times of plenty as well as want. May He mold us, may He train us, so that we may have the faith of Job.