Have you ever had a pet that you really, really loved? Maybe it was a dog or cat, a bird, a turtle, a rabbit, or even a fish. It is so very sad to lose even one little animal we dearly love!

There was once a man who lived many years ago. His name was Job. He had not only one animal—but he actually had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 donkeys, and 500 pairs of oxen.

Not only that. He was blessed with 7 sons and 3 daughters. You can imagine how much he had tenderly cared for those 10 children until they were fully grown.

Not only was Job blessed with riches and a big family—he also was famous and admired by many. The Bible says he was the greatest of all the men in the east—and we know that the Orient has a lot of people in it!

But what happened one day? The Bible tells us that Satan hated Job and tried to say that Job was faithful to God only because God was so good to him. So Satan was allowed to attack poor Job.

All of a sudden, tremendous disasters came. Job’s animals were destroyed and all of his children were killed.

Not only that! Job got a terrible sickness. Painful boils popped up on his skin, all over his entire body. They really hurt!

These problems did not go away. . . .

Then, some men came to see Job. They were supposed to be close friends who were worried about him. But most of what they said to Job was that he must have been really, really bad to have to be punished so hard.

Was that true? The Bible says that it was not. Job was a very faithful man who loved God and obeyed Him. Now he was all alone in trusting the Lord. Even his wife had given up hope.

Things were looking very sad, indeed. But did Job complain? No. He decided to trust in God no matter what happened to him. That is real faith!

So, what did Job end up doing? He prayed for himself as a helpless sinner in God’s sight—and for his friends. Yes, those friends who seemed to think they were so good and Job was so bad. After all, Job had been rich and now he was poor. His beloved children had been swept away. He used to have good health and now he just sat on the ground, hurting, and looking horrible.

But Job prayed for those friends. Why? They needed prayer! Everyone does! Job was so unselfish that he prayed for them, even though they were being very proud and unfair to him.

Finally, guess what happened? God healed Job from all the boils. Not only that, He gave him twice as many animals as he had before, plus 7 more sons and 3 more daughters. Amazing! Maybe this took time, but God is very faithful.

So, the next time you are tempted to complain about something bad that has happened to you, think of Job. It may be an attack from Satan, but if you trust God no matter what, He will take care of you and give you a greater blessing than before. Winners trust Him!