Shakespeare couldn?t have penned a more mournful prayer. Job lost everything of value ? his riches ? and the priceless things ? his family and health. Job was a rich man with a large family. He had everything, respect of men and the favour of God. Job lived a god-fearing life, a life of obedience. He was a man of prayer, offering sacrifices for himself and his family. He was the priest of his home! Job?s walk was upright; he was a true believer in the Almighty. But in spite of Job?s impressive resume, he came under pressure.

Job went through levels of testing. In Job 1: 13 - 17 the first thing Job lost was his animals and servants. Next in verse 18 he lost his 10 children in an instance. All He had at this point was his health and wife. But what is amazing about Job is that after losing his animals, servants and children he still had joy, the strength to worship God: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." [Job 1: 21]. Job did not rebel against his Father. This is what God, whose word matters most, had to say about Job, "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." [Job 2: 3].

But the loss of his animals and family wasn?t the end. The pressure was about to intensify. Job then lost his health; sores came on him from his head to his feet. Still Job maintained his integrity. He remained true to God, for he knew the good things his Father could give, now he accepts his troubles. Sometimes we are tested by trials that take something or someone from us, and our first inclination is to ask what did we do to deserve it or why has it happened. Out of our pain spring a lot of questions. But pain has caused a lot of people to come to Christ, while one the other hand it caused many to renounce their faith in Christ. I guess it all depends on how we process pain. Dr. Ravi Zacharias, a Christian author and apologetic, once said, ?Pain has that distinctive quality of forcing us to analyze what reality is all about?. Pain forces us to look into life more seriously to see where and what we could improve, to ask questions of God and ourselves, and even to prioritize. But like Job the best response is to give God thanks, for we do not know what the end result will be. And even if we have to live with the pain for the rest of our lives, if we remain faithful as Job did God will be our reward. He promised, ?...he who stands firm to the end will be saved.? [St. Matthew 10: 22b].

Job had every opportunity to give up on God, and above all else he it was almost his right. He was a man who undeservedly lost everything. He was under pressure! Now with sores covering his body the one person left in his home, the one who was his life companion, his wife who was suppose to comfort and encourage him, she too put him under pressure. She failed to see God?s mercy in spite of Job?s tragedy. In Job?s depth of grief she retorted, ?Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!? [Job 2: 9]. Talk about pressure. The woman he loves is now discouraging him by ridiculing his character. And I guess she was right: Curse God and die! With all else gone God was the only One keeping breath in Job?s nostrils. I believe if he had cursed God he would have lost hope and the strength to live would have left him. What else would he have to live for? But his hope was not in temporal things, he was focused on the Eternal One!

When you think it couldn?t get any worse, you realize that you were mistaken to think thus! The pressure climaxed when Job?s three friends came to visit him. These are the men Job reasoned with growing up, these men he trusted. But after a week of mourning their accusations came sharp and hard. "Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it. At the breath of God they are destroyed; at the blast of his anger they perish.? [Job 4: 7 ? 9]. These are the words of one of Job?s friends named Eliphaz. Throughout the Book of Job, Job?s three friends concluded that he had sinned, and that was why he suffered like he did. They argued that God was just and righteous and wouldn?t make anyone suffer if they didn?t deserve it. But God?s word was what Job counted, plus he knew that he was a man of worship.

Though Job asked questions, he never gave up on God. And in the end Job was spoken of well by God. Job went through several levels of pressure. Are you going through pressure? Whose mentality would you have? Is it Job?s wife?s mentality or Job?s? Would you be like Job?s friends? I say above these be like Job, but above all be like Christ! ?Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death?even death on a cross!? [Philippians 2: 5 ? 8]. Job suffered a lot, but Jesus suffered more. Job offered offerings for his sins, but Jesus became the offering for all sins, though He had not sinned! He was God, yet He endured His suffering. He persevered! He endured to the end ? death on a cross!

Jesus? disciples were not around when He needed them the most, even His Father forsook Him, but He knew He had a purpose and He lived out His purpose ? to die for the sins of many! So whenever you are tried and tested and people forsake or accuse you, remember that God?s word is the only one that matters. Make His word relevant to you in your daily life! Don?t buckle under the pressure. Let us take God?s joy as our strength!

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