There was a man of integrity, who lived in awe and reverence before the Lord. Surrounded by a wall of the Lord’s protection, he and his home and land had prospered greatly. When he experienced catastrophic death and devastation in his family, the scope of his suffering was extreme. He also became a true hero in the faith.

There is great suffering in this world, whether we follow God or not. The question we must ask: do we blame others for our troubles and live with a victim mindset? Blame, including self-blame, ultimately leads to blaming God. 

I mentioned a man’s unimaginable loss, which was recorded in the Book of Job. What I read reminded me of the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews. We think heroes are only those who conquered kingdoms. Through the power of their faith, they took hold of their promises and pulled them into reality. Their faith caused many to escape certain death. In their weakness, their faith empowered them and made them strong.

Yet there were also those whose faith in God enabled them to endure great atrocities. They suffered abuse for being anointed. They preferred faith’s certainty above anything the world could offer momentarily. Some lost everything they possessed. Some were mocked and cruelly mistreated. Some were imprisoned and endured great afflictions. Some were brutally killed. But they didn’t deny God. The world was not even worthy of them (see Hebrews 11:32-38).

Afflicted by Satan, Job experienced wave after wave of bad news. As his suffering intensified, he tore his robe in grief, shaved his head, and fell to the ground to worship…saying, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” (Job 1:20-22). 

Job was a hero of the faith who chose to worship the Lord in his suffering.

He praised the name of the Lord in his struggles.

In all his troubles, Job did not sin by blaming God. 

We do look for answers to suffering. And we do ask God to search our hearts to see if there is sin against Him. We forgive and bless anyone who is part of our sorrow. 

We also take hold of the Lord’s word and pull it into our realm of reality. He said that our weakest point is where His power is expressed the greatest. He said we belong to Him and He holds us in His hands. He will always have the last word, regardless of the battle with an enemy stronger than us.