When we talk about trials, the first Bible story we think of is Job. If we only read the first part of the story, we will think that the book of Job is about a man of suffering and nothing more. But, if we continue, we will find that it is a story that illustrates the evil of the enemy, God’s hand of protection, a man’s struggle with trial, the humbling of a man before God, and a gracious God who redeems above and beyond all that the enemy destroyed.
In 2016, I found out that I was expecting my first baby. About three and half months into my pregnancy, I started to experience complications. These complications ultimately led to the birth of our son Samuel three months early. His little life was truly a miracle. Samuel lived here with us for 19 days, and then went home to Heaven. This season was extremely painful and tested my faith immensely.
I want to be clear that the Lord did not cause this trial to come to me. John 10:10 (NIV) says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
The Lord did not cause Job’s trials either. The Lord only withdrew his hand of protection (Job 1:10) so that the devil could attack Job’s life (Job 1:12). This may seem harsh (and I still don’t understand this), but Job’s situation actually opened my eyes to see how much God is protecting my life. The moment that God withdrew his protection from Job, the enemy all out attacked his life. Think about it – no area was untouched except Job’s life – though his body was attacked, he could not die because the Lord made the devil promise not to kill Job (Job 2:6-7). Job’s wife was not harmed either, but the enemy used her to tempt Job to curse God and die (Job 2:9). This makes me realize that God is truly protecting my life. If he withdrew his hand of protection, every single blessing in my life would be under attack.
Though I know the truth of this now, it was not an easy thing to believe in the midst of the trial. I asked a lot of questions. I questioned God. I questioned myself. I heard what others had to say about it. I felt hopeless and all alone. But, despite it all, I knew I had to hear from God and know what his Word said about trials. After much studying and wrestling with God, I found hope again. I found myself humbled before a very good God.
The middle part of the book of Job tells of Job’s personal journey to reconcile with his situation. He was given many reasons for his suffering by others, but he was not satisfied with their thoughts. He eventually speaks to God about his situation and realizes that the God he serves is much greater than he even knew before. The final chapter of Job brought me so much hope in the midst of trial.
Job 42:10 (NLT) says, “When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!”
From this passage and others in the Bible, I learned that God promises redemption for our trials. He works all things together for our good (Romans 8:10). The time came when my husband and I felt God would redeem our story. We began to trust him to do just that. When it took longer than we thought, we kept praying. We started off 2019 praying and fasting for a healthy baby. By the end of January 2019, I found out that I was expecting! At our first doctor’s appointment, we learned that the due date for our second baby was the same day as the birthday of our son. We looked at each other in awe! Only God could redeem our brokenness with such precision.
God blessed me with a flawless pregnancy, which was redeeming in and of itself, and he gave us a beautiful baby girl, named Evie, who brings joy to everyone we meet! We are so thankful for the redemption that God has begun in our lives, and we also continue to believe that he has more children for us, just like he had for Job.
“So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters… Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life.” – Job 42:12-13, 16-17 (NLT)
The Lord has a long, full life prepared for us. I know that I could have missed out on this if I didn’t trust him and seek him in the hardest moments of my life. I encourage you to pursue healing in your life and in your relationship with God to the point that you can dream again, trust again, and live again. Then, for whatever trial you have faced, start praying for it to be redeemed by the hand of our loving and faithful God!