The Biggest Story is about a big God who never gives up on his sinful people. Even when we deserve judgment, God has a plan to save his chosen ones. He is our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

But that doesn’t mean things always go well for God’s people. Even when we obey God, life is still full of troubles and trials. In fact, challenges are a part of God’s plan for his children. Life is kind of like school. Recess is fun, but we learn the most when our classes are hard.

In the whole Old Testament there was no one with a harder life than Job. (By the way, Job is not a “job” that rhymes with “cob,” but “Job” that rhymes with “robe.”) Job was a godly man, fearing the Lord and doing what was right. He was also a rich man. He had ten children and more than ten thousand animals. Job was more faithful and more famous than anyone else in all the land.

One day, the Lord said to Satan (that ancient snake), “Have you seen my servant Job? There is no one like him.” Satan said, “Well, of course Job is a righteous man. He’s rich and famous. He won’t praise you once bad things start happening.” So the Lord allowed Satan to put Job to the test.

And what a test it was. Satan did all sorts of nasty things to Job. In a single day, Job heard from four dreadful messengers, one after another.

The first messenger told Job that the Sabeans had stolen his oxen and his donkeys and killed some of his servants. The second messenger told Job that fire had burned up his sheep and killed more of his servants. The third messenger told Job that the Chaldeans had stolen his camels and killed still more of his servants. If that wasn’t bad enough, the fourth messenger was even worse. He told Job that his children were enjoying a feast together when a great wind blew the house down and all the children died.

It would be hard to think of a sadder day. And Job was very sad. He tore his robe and shaved his head, which was a way of saying, “I couldn’t be any sadder.”

But do you know what he did next? He worshiped. He didn’t sin, and he didn’t give up on God. “I came into the world with nothing, and I will leave the world with nothing,” Job said. “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job loved God when he had everything, and he loved God when he had nothing. Job still had questions. And Job still was hurting. But he knew God
was still in charge and God was still worthy to be praised.