Finding Hope in the Valley: Life Lesson from Job and Joshua

In this soul-stirring episode, Terri explores the biblical stories of Job and Joshua, revealing wisdom about handling life’s unexpected trials. Explore how their lives mirror our modern struggles with anxiety, doubt, and a search for hope in difficult seasons.

Discover:

• Job’s journey from prosperity to profound loss, and how his response speaks to our own moments of suffering
• Joshua’s surprising response to defeat and God’s compassionate command
• The delicate balance between acknowledging pain and choosing hope
• Practical insights on redirecting your focus onto hope

This episode offers genuine encouragement and biblical wisdom for finding strength when life knocks you down.

Download this free resource on the key points from this episode.

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Transcript

In today’s episode, you get a glimpse into Job and Joshua’s response to calamity and suffering along with a life lesson transforming doubt and worry into a hope-filled focus. Let’s dive in.

In the Book of Job, we find Job lived a life without struggle or despair. He was extremely wealthy, a large family with thousands of livestock. A man who dedicated himself to a relationship with God. 

So, when suffering came into his life and increased over time, Job stopped praising God, chose self-hatred for his very existence, and wished himself born dead. Devastation marked every area of Job’s life. Disease struck him, and he lost his family, and livestock business. Job viewed calamity as a destroyer of his hope with God’s hand is in it. Job believed God was angry at him and felt hurt that God allowed.

The unpredictable arrival of Job’s suffering is unsettling and resonates with us. It’s like a collision we never expected, nor should we. Trouble takes us by surprise, bringing doubt, fear, and worry—all of it converging on our hope.

This brings us to Joshua’s story.

During Moses’s leadership of the Israelites, Joshua was part of a twelve-man scouting operation on taking Canaan, the land God promised to them. Joshua was one of two men who thought they could take the land. After Moses died, God appointed Joshua as leader of the Israelites. Joshua’s task was deploying the Israelites to march in and take the land as God desired.

Before God sent Joshua into battle, God said, “Joshua be strong, very courageous, and do not be afraid”. Interesting. Why tell Joshua “be very courageous and do not be afraid”? Is trouble coming? I’m certain if God said “be very courageous and don’t be afraid, Terri” I would immediately assume trouble is coming.

Yet Joshua embraces the command, raises the battle cry, anticipating victory and success. For a time, Israel wins multiple battles until eventually they face a defeat. They had their share of wins, but one battle did not go their way.

Here’s the amazing thing. Joshua responds to their defeat by throwing himself on the ground. He tells God he regrets crossing the Jordan River into Canaan. What? All because of one loss? 

Well, hardships and trouble bring stuff with it, and in this case, doubt has arrived. As the story goes, Joshua blames God for what happened, and Joshua projects a dismal future for the Israelites here on out concerning their ability to take Canaan. Now we see worry and fear kick in.

What happened to his hope?

Maybe you have a story like Job, or Joshua, where rising and moving forward feels impossible.

Believing God can or will meet your specific need during and after devastation and suffering takes incredible strength of faith. I remember feeling absolutely empty and exhausted after my mom’s sudden death, my dog’s death, a move to a new state, and learning a new nursing role.

Like Joshua. I laid on the floor and cried my heart out, badly wishing things were different.

Like Job and Joshua, we might feel God is against us. We ask, “Where’s my answer, Lord?” “God, do you see this? Do you see me?” “Why is this happening?” When those questions come, God’s silence is deafening. You want something, anything, from the Holy Spirit, and you can’t feel it or sense it. 

Yet, God is there.

In Joshua’s story, God was right there when Joshua threw himself on the ground. God commanded him, “Get up.” God said it not once, but twice. “Get up.” What Joshua did not hear was God’s condemnation for his doubt and fear. God gave Joshua instructions on the way forward. Yes, the defeat stung, but it’s over and done. Can’t change it. The new focus is what to do next.

Though trouble and suffering remained for Joshua and the others, God wanted their focus on Him. 

In your story and mine, God’s call to hope in Him aligns our focus on God. Choosing to hope is like saying, “God, I believe You are with me in this. 

I’ll never forget when God gently beckoned me to “get up” and take that next step with hope. A hope in His care of me. A hope in a future where suffering eases and I can shine bright with peace. 

It took God a few times to redirect my focus off the loss and change in my life. Because I believed that getting up, moving forward, could help me heal, my hope re-ignited.

Here’s your takeaway from Joshua and Job’s life on the matter of hope.

1.    Worry, fear and doubt lead you away from God, away from hope. 

2.    Hope reorients you to a path with clear indicators on the right and left showing the prior ways and situations God was with you in the past. Each reminder propels you forward empowering your hope.

There will come a time when God will asks you to “Get up” and in His strength you will do it. He can and will fan the embers of your waning hope causing it to flame high once again.

Thank you for listening. If you found this episode inspiring, please share it with others. And to God be the glory. 

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