"And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?" Job 1:8-9

God had blessed Job abundantly. He had accumulated great flocks and herds. He had a large family that he loved. The Lord described him to Satan as being perfect and upright. But Satan questioned Job's motives. He accused him of serving the Lord only because of the way he had been blessed. And so, God allowed Satan to test Job, with one stipulation: "Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.

Can you imagine what it must have been like for Job? First, he received news of the death of all his children. Then one by one, servants came to inform him that his flocks and herds were all gone. His reaction was not what Satan had envisioned.

Job 1:20-22 "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly."

Even though almost everything was taken from him, his faith and trust in God did not waver. As we read through the rest of the book, we see Him questioning God as to why he was going through this. Yet in Job 13:15, he maintains His trust and hope in the Lord: "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."

I trust that none of us will ever face all the circumstances that Job faced. We do know, however, that there will come times of testing and trials. The Lord may allow us to go through things, but how we react to them is what counts.

When life does not go the way we want it to, when it seems like everything is going against us, will we still trust the Lord? Will we continue to love and praise the Lord for Who He is, regardless of what is happening to us?

Thought For Today: He gives more grace when the burdens are heavy.

Devotion by: Anne Johnston