Revisiting Job: When Life is Hard

Bible

Don’t go.

I know that “hard” is not a word that makes you want to read on… but stay anyway.

Just because it is hard, it doesn’t mean that it’s bad.

It’s just hard.

Seasons come and go, and so will this one.

If you are in a hard season, don’t miss the opportunity to learn what you might not be able to learn any other way.

We often see the struggle, the difficulty, the suffering–and think, “where is God in all of this?”

I memorized this verse in Job for my Scripture Memory Challenge on Job, [Feeling Like Job], and it is the perfect verse to remind us why we need to hide God’s Word in our heart… when life gets difficult, we need those truths that are planted to take root deep in our heart.

👉 Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.”

Life can be hard. None are exempt from pain and heartache. The good news is that we have a loving God who knows. He hears–and He is not a God far away. He is not just observing–He is always at work in us and around us:

👉 “The Lord is near all who call out to Him, all who call out to Him with integrity.” Psalm 145:18

Maybe you just needed a fresh reminder today. I know the hard thing that I am facing is not so new to mankind. Might it just be that right here in the middle of it, God wants to do something in me so I can see Him more clearly? Wouldn’t it be not just helpful, but healing to share His truth with others who are carrying their own burden?

I have to be honest. I’ve been struggling to write lately. Maybe you have been struggling too. I know that often when hard times come we tend to turn away from what we know is true from God’s Word or we turn to it. Don’t neglect reading The Word just because it’s hard. Let it teach you. Let it stretch and grow you. God is always faithful to point us to the truth of our situation.

While the circumstance has not been taken away from me, He is here. He has been using this season to teach me how to let go of the struggle and learn to abide in Him. Abiding means resting. It means trusting. It means clinging to the truth that He is God and He is still in control. It means that He loves us and is working in ways that we might not see until heaven. Is He truly Sovereign? I believe that He is, and that belief is what sustains me.

Remember Job? Even when life was at his worst, he said these words:

👉Even if he kills me, I will hope in Him.” Job 13:15

Job continued to trust the Lord, and God blessed him. We can miss an important part of this message if we’re not careful. We tend to focus on the fact that God blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the earlier with material possessions and a new family. As wonderful as that is, it didn’t replace those loved ones he lost. The key to this story is not the material reward that Job received for his faithfulness–it was much greater than that–Job had a personal encounter with the Almighty! Don’t you see? God spoke to him. He was actually able to hear the God of the universe speak. Yes, he was reprimanded, but he was also comforted and encouraged by his Creator.

Let that sink in. He has done the same for me, and God will do the same for you.

That verse goes on to say, “But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus…” Do you see it? God often comforts us through others, and He wants us to be instrument of His comfort as well. When we say “Yes” to God, we must be willing to say yes to the hard things as well. A part of human existence, pain and difficulty and struggle often mold our hearts in ways that can be beneficial or detrimental–it really is our choice. We can turn away from our Creator in those moments, or choose to say, “But.God.”