Early in the morning, the unrelenting pings from my phone begged for my attention. Sighing, I looked at the text messages. As I read through them, this old adage came to mind: When it rains, it pours. 

The message thread alerted me to yet another problem needing to be solved. It had been a difficult season. Troubling situations continuously washed over me like waves. Before I could recover from one, another took its place. 

I believe we all walk through seasons like these. Jesus warned us we would face storms in our lives. He reminded us we can remain standing through the difficulties if we build our lives on the foundation of His teaching (Matthew 7:24-27).

I know this to be true. I’ve stood strong and faced the storm. But sometimes my real challenge comes later. It happens when I see the destruction the storm has left in its wake: shattered dreams, dashed hopes, or rocky relationships. In those moments I’m tempted to shout at God, “Look at what your storm did to my life!”

Fortunately, we have an example in the Bible of someone who also felt this way. If you’ve never read the book of Job, it makes for a fascinating study. But here are some highlights:

When we first see Job, he had an abundant and godly life:

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. (Job 1:1-3 NIV)

Unfortunately, a series of unfortunate events, orchestrated by Satan (Job 1:9-11), began to wash over him. In rapid succession Job learned:

• A band of rivals, the Sabeans, stole his oxen and donkeys and killed the servants who tended them (Job 1:13-15).
• A fire destroyed his sheep and the servants who cared for them (Job 1:16).
• A group of raiders, the Chaldeans, carried off his camels and killed his servants (Job 1:17). 
• A huge wind caused his son’s house to collapse. All of Job’s children were in the house and instantly killed (Job 1:18-19).

As Job tried to process all of this, Satan relentlessly continued his attack by inflicting him with painful sores (Job 2:7). Job’s wife offered no comfort or words of encouragement, “His wife said to him, ‘Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!’” (Job 2:9 NIV).

Three friends arrive to comfort Job, but because they misunderstand him, his situation, and the nature of God, they only gave him limited support (Job 2:11, Job 16:2, Job 42:7). 

So what did Job do? He took his anguished heart to God and poured out all his emotions (Job 13:20-27). Although God never explained the reason for the storms, through this wrestling, Job’s heart finally rested as he recognized God’s sovereignty (Job 42:1-3). And then he began the process of rebuilding.

Through Job’s story, I’ve learned some things about rebuilding after life’s storms:

Rebuilding takes faith: After we’ve been hurt by life’s storms, we can be afraid to build again. To overcome this fear, we need faith. Through prayer, Job renewed his faith in the authority and goodness of God. He didn’t need to understand why the storms happened, he simply needed to trust the One who remains sovereign over them. 

Rebuilding takes commitment: We need to follow faith with action. After restoring his faith, Job recommitted himself to the service of God. To atone for their false portrayal of God, Job’s three friends needed to sacrifice a burnt offering. God commissioned Job to accept the sacrifice and to pray for his friends. When Job did, God accepted his prayer (Job 42:7-9).

Rebuilding takes time: We need to persevere as we rebuild. After the storms passed, Job experienced more blessings in his life, “He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters” (Job 42:12-13 NIV). I don’t believe this happened overnight. The Bible reveals Job lived for another 140 years and watched his children and grandchildren grow into adulthood (Job 42:16). 

Wherever the road leads me next, I am sure there will be storms on the horizon. I pray to remember the keys for rebuilding after the storm. Wherever the Lord leads you next, I pray you can do the same.