5 Things to Remember When You're Going through a Trial -- Comfort from the Book of Job

Last year at this time, life looked a lot different. 

My husband had lost his job of 17 years and had been unemployed for months. As one job prospect after another vanished like cookies in a room full of teenagers, he grew discouraged, and so did I. He trained for one position almost all summer only to see it withdrawn at the last minute. 

Every No response or closed door just added to his fear that he’d be unemployed forever. To add sorrow upon sorrow, the one year anniversary of my mother-in-law’s death was looming. Grief threatened to overwhelm us.

One morning I opened my Bible early in the hopes God would encourage us. I read Job 5:8-15, and I wasn’t disappointed. God spoke to me. A good word of encouragement during these times of mourning the loss of family members and David’s job, I wrote in the margin of my Bible. 

If you can identify with where we were a year ago, I have hope for you. Here are five truths from the book of Job that helped me through those dark times: 

1. We can talk to God about our troubles. 
He never grows weary of our prayers or pleas for help. "But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him,” Job 5:8 says.

 2. God has the power to work in your situation for your good and his glory. 
“He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. He bestows rain on the earth; he sends water upon the countryside. The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety" (Job 5:9-11). 

3. If evil people or wicked schemes are the cause of our distress, God sees this, too. 
In his time, he will right all wrongs and come to your defense. He will not leave the guilty unpunished, either in this life or the next. 

“He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away. Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night. He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth” (Job 5:12-16). 

4. God can use our time of distress to purify and strengthen us if we let him. 
He’ll teach us things about himself we could never learn otherwise. He’ll grow our faith and give us many opportunities to witness for him. "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty” (Job 5:17). 

5. Life won’t be like this forever. 
In the darkest times or our distress, we think it will never get any better. But we cannot lose hope. God will deliver us. Scripture is replete with examples of how God delivered his people out of impossible situations. In just the right way. At just the right time. 

“For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal” (Job 5:18) 

Today, a year later, we're living a very different reality. My husband will soon celebrate his first anniversary working at a job he loves. We’re looking forward to welcoming a new grandchild into our family, and our lives are full of the goodness of God. 

If you’re in the waiting time, the time in between faith and sight, I hope these verses from Job have encouraged you. Spend some time thinking on them. Claim their promises. Choose to believe God’s Word even when circumstances tempt you to doubt. And hold on. 

 “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). 

Now it’s your turn. What verses bring you the most comfort when you’re struggling? Leave a comment below and bless us all.

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