Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him– Job 13:15
There is perhaps no man in history, besides Jesus Christ himself, who has suffered as greatly as Job. Job’s afflictions came because of his obedience to God, yet he seemed to be utterly forsaken by God while afflicted by men and Satan.
Job completely lost his wealth, his family, and his health. His flocks were stolen, his children were killed, his wife turned against him, and his body was ravaged by disease.
If you were to look at him, after Satan was given free rein to afflict him, you would see boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head (Job 2:7), the puss of which he had to scrape off his body. He sat among ashes—probably to dry up the sweating of his boils—so he was caked with white dust from head to toe.
Yet this precious confession is uttered from those very lips: “I will trust God, even if it kills me! And I will walk faithfully before him, even when I do not see or feel him.”
It is no wonder that Job is set before us in the New Testament as an example of patience and faith. No matter how dark things may be for you, you can draw strength from Job’s courageous testimony, because we know that, in the end, God was faithful to deliver and bless him.
May Job’s trust in the faithfulness of God inspire you to patience and hope even in the darkest of times. Though He may seem to be slaying your every source of happiness, it is only so that you will find your greatest joy in Him.