By Pieter Vermeulen, ICC Board Member, as part of a series, “Persecuted but not Forsaken.” Throughout Scripture, we encounter a recurring pattern: the righteous suffer while the wicked often seem to prosper. From Abel murdered in a field, to prophets rejected by their own people, to the anguished cries of Job, the Bible confronts us with a difficult reality: Faithfulness to God does not guarantee comfort or safety. Instead, it often leads directly to conflict. This pattern raises a profound question. Why would a faithful life lead to suffering?