His wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!”
“You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept only good from God and not adversity? Throughout all this Job did not sin in what he said.      Job 2:9-10 HCSB

If you have never read the book of Job, you should. It’s a wonderful study and gives a perfect example of why bad things happen to good people. Job was as good as a human being could possibly get. He was not perfect because as human beings go, we know only Jesus Christ was perfect. But he was as good as they come. He would suffer the loss of his animals, his servants and even his children. This would all take place in a matter of minutes. But when he was notified that he had lost all this, he tore his robe in mourning and he worshiped God.

Non-Christians love to ask the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” or “What kind of God would allow His people to suffer?” In the book of Job, Satan and God are having a conversation. God asks Satan where he has come from. Satan tells God he has been roaming the earth. We are told in 1 Peter 5:8 that Satan roams around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. God asks Satan if he has considered Job and tells him Job is blameless. He doesn’t mean sinless, but Job is righteous. He is in a right relationship with God, and he does all he can to avoid sinning. He has raised his children well and taught them not to sin, but still offers sacrifices for them in case they have committed sin of which they are unaware. Job is a good man. He is the best as far as humans go. But yet he suffered unbelievable loss and tragedy.

If you think you are having a bad day you can just read Job chapter 1 and see it’s not as bad as you thought. None of us want to suffer. We want our lives to be all rainbows and lollipops all the time, but we know this is not the case. We know that we have sunny days, and we have rainy days. We know we must take the good with the bad. This is what Job tells his wife. Job was a man of great wealth and honor. He used to sit as a judge at the city gate. But now he has lost all his possessions including his children. He has been infected with hideous sores that ooze and cause him to run fever and ache. He is a social outcast.

His wife, as many of us do, blames God for this. She tells Job to just curse God and die. The devil will often use well-meaning friends or relatives to tempt us to do what he wants us to do. But Job remains strong. He understands that God uses these trials to discipline us but also to test us. He tells his wife she is speaking foolishly.

As Christians we know we will face difficult times. We know we will suffer. We are told in James 1:2 we should consider it great joy whenever we experience various trials knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance which makes us mature Christians lacking in nothing.

Job was a good person, yet he experienced unimaginable suffering. It wasn’t his being a good person that brought him through this, it was his faith in God. Being good isn’t good enough. We must have a strong faith. We must understand that hard times will come our way, but we have a God who will walk with us every step of the way. We are told in Isaiah 41:10 not to fear nor be dismayed for He is with us for He is our God and will strengthen us. He will hold onto us with His righteous right hand.

When you suffer hardships and heartaches grab onto God’s hand. Trust in Him to walk you through it. Know that bad things happen to good people. This kind of testing produces endurance, it strengthens our faith, and this is needed to make us mature Christians. Just trust in God and hold onto Him. He will not let you fall.

Have a great day!