The Faith That Endures Suffering

Opening Prayer for Free flow service

God of mystery and mercy, as we gather in Your presence today, we acknowledge the struggles we face. Like Job, we wrestle with the suffering of the world and in our own lives. Grant us the grace to trust in Your goodness, even when the path is unclear. Fill us with faith that withstands trials, and with a peace that passes understanding. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Introduction:

We often ask, “Where is God when everything falls apart?” This question echoes through history, from the tragedies in our personal lives to the overwhelming crises we see in the world. When pain invades, faith is tested.

Job’s response to suffering invites us to reflect on what it means to trust God when life unravels.

What does it mean to remain faithful when the blessings of life are stripped away?

The book of Job opens with a staggering collapse: in a matter of moments, Job’s world disintegrates. His wealth is plundered, his children die tragically, and his health deteriorates painfully. Job’s body is ravaged by disease, described as "painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head" (Job 2:7). Even his wife, broken by the pain, suggests that he "curse God and die" (Job 2:9).

This is a moment of complete and utter devastation, and yet, Job responds in an extraordinary way. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

How do we trust God when our world unravels?

Job doesn’t offer a perfect answer or a reason for why these things happen. Instead, he offers something deeper: an unshakable faith in God’s goodness, even when he can’t see it. He knows God is still good. He knows God is still faithful. He knows God is still loving.

And so, Job’s response is stunning: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10).

What we see is a profound truth—faith is not about avoiding pain, but finding strength to trust God in it.

I. Faithfulness When the Blessings Are Gone

Job's faith is not transactional. He doesn’t worship God because of what he gets from Him. He worships God because of who God is. In prosperity, Job praised God for his blessings. And when those blessings were stripped away, Job’s response remained the same: he fell to the ground in worship.

Illustration: This echoes the story of Horatio Spafford, the author of the hymn "It Is Well with My Soul." After losing his wealth in the Great Chicago Fire and his four daughters in a tragic shipwreck, Spafford penned words of unshakable faith: "When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul." Like Job, Spafford’s faith wasn’t rooted in prosperity but in God's permanent, unfailing goodness.

Job’s steadfastness teaches us that when the temporary is taken away, the permanent remains. The material things of this world—our wealth, our health, even our loved ones—are fragile and can be taken from us in an instant. But Job shows us that faith, anchored in the unchanging character of God, can remain firm.

As someone once said, we are more prone to sin in prosperity than in poverty.

Job cultivated a spirit of praise in his prosperity, which revealed the true nature of his inner character when calamity struck.

What does it mean to hold onto faith when life doesn’t make sense?

II. The Accuser: Where Is God When Everything Falls Apart?

In the opening chapters, Satan, the accuser, challenges God, claiming that Job’s faith is shallow—that it’s based only on the blessings he receives. Satan questions whether anyone could truly love God for who He is, without the gifts.

This is the test that unfolds: Satan is determined to show that Job’s devotion will crumble under suffering.

But Satan misjudges Job, and in doing so, he misjudges God.

Satan often works to accuse both God and us. He whispers doubts: “Is God really good? Is He really faithful?” But Job shows us that even when the blessings of life are stripped away, God’s goodness remains. The question isn’t “whether” God is present in our suffering; it’s whether we will trust Him even when we don’t understand what He is doing.

Illustration from The Chosen:

In “The Chosen”, there's a powerful moment when Jesus talks to Little James, a disciple with a physical disability. James asks why he hasn’t been healed like others. Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, tells James that God’s power is made perfect in weakness and that his faith, despite his affliction, is a greater testimony than any miracle of physical healing. Just as Little James’ faith shines brighter through his suffering, so too does Job’s faith in the midst of his immense pain. Faith is not about fixing everything; it’s about trusting that God is good even when things don’t get fixed.

Reflection: Could God use you, as He used Job, to prove Satan wrong? When everything falls apart, could your faith demonstrate that Satan’s accusations are false, that God is trustworthy even when the world seems chaotic? What an honor it is when God has confidence in us, knowing we are up to the test.

III. Worship in the Midst of Calamity

One of the most powerful moments in Job’s story is not just his perseverance but his worship. When his world falls apart, Job falls to the ground—not in despair, but in reverence. In Job 1:21, he declares, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

This worship is not born of an easy life. It’s the fruit of a deep relationship with God that goes beyond circumstances. When Job worships in prosperity, he does not forget God. And when everything is taken away, his worship remains. This reveals the depth of his faith—his relationship with God is not dependent on the gifts he receives but on his trust in God’s nature.

Key Point: Can we worship God in the storm, not just when the skies are clear? Job did. And in that moment, Satan met his match. Confident that Job would curse God, Satan was left enraged when he heard words of praise instead.

Closing Challenge:

Job’s story challenges us today:

What does our faith look like when our blessings are stripped away?

Are we, like Job, ready to hold fast to our trust in God’s goodness, even when we can’t understand His ways?

Are we willing to trust that God’s plan is bigger than our pain and that His goodness is greater than our grief?

Suffering will come. Jesus Himself told us that "in this world, you will have trouble" (John 16:33). But like Job, we have the opportunity to stand firm, to worship through the storm, and to trust that God is good—even when life isn’t. The test of faith is not whether we avoid suffering, but whether we trust God’s goodness through it.

Conclusion:

In the end, Job’s steadfastness teaches us one powerful truth: Faith in the midst of suffering reveals the deepest trust in God. And it is in those moments of darkness that our faith shines brightest.

When God has confidence in you, are you up to the test?

With Job’s example before us, may we be found faithful—faithful to trust, faithful to worship, faithful to believe in God’s goodness—no matter what storms we face.

Questions for Reflection:

- Could God be using your life to show Satan that faith can endure through suffering?

- Are you willing to trust God even when the blessings are gone?

- When life falls apart, will your response be like Job’s—worshiping God for who He is, not just for what He gives?

The Great Thanksgiving for Free-Flow

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor: Lift up your hearts.

People: We lift them up to the Lord.

Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Pastor: It is right to give You thanks and praise, Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. You made us in Your image and loved us even when we turned away. Through Your Son, Jesus Christ, You brought us back to Yourself, giving us new life.

On the night He gave Himself up for us, Jesus took bread, gave thanks to You, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this is My body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

When the supper was over, He took the cup, gave thanks, and said, “Drink from this, all of you; this is My blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

And so, we remember His death, resurrection, and promise to come again, as we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving.

Pour out Your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and cup. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, so that we may be His body in the world, redeemed and sent to serve.

People: Amen.