Many times, the enemy will try to harm us by using our misfortunes to fill us with shame and guilt. However, the wonderful thing about God is that He delights in turning seemingly dire and hopeless situations around for our good and His glory! There’s a story in the Old Testament about a guy named Job, who was an exceptional person. He loved God with all of his heart, and he was a hard-working, decent family man. However, out of the blue, tragedy struck him, and he lost everything he held dear — his livestock, his wife, his children, his friends, and his health. And while it seems his circumstances would have been enough to make any human being crumble, Job had a choice to make: he could either trust God amidst traumatic, troubling, and trying times or curse Him and go his own way. Surprisingly, he leaned into the Lord, and his response in the face of darkness and calamity was, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.” Although everyone — even his closest friends — wanted him to turn his back on God and shun Him for his tremendous losses, Job chose to trust the consistency of His character. Likewise, today, once we’ve tasted and seen the unfailing faithfulness of our Savior, we can contend with seemingly overwhelming obstacles unto the bitter end. Because we love Him and have studied His nature and His ways, our faith can rise to the level of our knowledge and we can stand fast, no matter how hard it gets!

My friend, God takes what the enemy intends for evil and transforms it into something good! He uses all things — including the most tragic and painful — to bring about His perfect plan and purpose. Even if circumstances look bleak, the Lord is on your side, and Jesus Himself is at the right hand of the Father interceding on your behalf. The Savior of Heaven and earth is praying for you, so you can be of good cheer and know that He is making a way, even if there seems to be none. He is strengthening you, helping you, and upholding you with His righteous right hand as you navigate through the valley, climb up the mountains, and cross over the sea of troubled waters. As you press into Jesus and on to the future, He will take the pain of your past and reposition you to flourish in His power.