Every time I read the book of Job, I see something else and learn something new that relates to my situation of chronic illness. When I read Job this year, I was in a few weeks of level, (relatively) easy terrain in between valleys–an unusual experience that, if I’m honest, I didn’t know how to respond to. I wondered what God wanted to do in this time of respite and how I should use it.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 points out,
To everything there is a season,
Ecclesiastes 3:1
A time for every purpose under heaven.
The list of “time”s that follows ends with the contrast, “A time of war, and a time of peace” (vs. 8).
When we’re in a “time of peace” in chronic illness, when God grants us a respite from the symptoms or the depression or the frustrations, what do we do?
The first chapter of Job provides the answer.
Job’s Foundation in a Time of Trial
Look at how the book opens:
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.
Job 1:1
The chapter goes on to describe Job’s practice of praying, worshiping God, and making regular sacrifices not just for himself but also for his family.
God Himself acknowledges Job’s integrity and faithfulness:
“Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”
Job 1:8
These descriptions of Job’s righteous lifestyle are from his years before Satan attacked him and he lost everything.
We know what Job went through in the days following this commendation from God: he lost his livelihood, his possessions, his servants, his children, and his health.
What enabled Job to face this immense trial head-on? How did he hold on to his faith in God during the most painful time of his life?
Job was able to stand strong in the storm because of how he spent his time in the calm. The above verses show us what he did during his time of peace and plenty: he sought God, worshiped God, invested in his relationship with God, and cultivated his faith in God. As a result, when Satan’s attacks came, Job “did not sin nor charge God with wrong” (1:22) and “[held] fast to [his] integrity” (2:9).
We need to do the same.
Here are three biblical analogies to bring home this concept:
1. Like a Tree
The book of Psalms opens with these memorable words:
Blessed is the man
Psalm 1:1-3, emphasis added
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
A tree is solid. It has roots deep in the ground that keep it upright and steady when the winds blow and the storms come. Chaff, however, has no root but is tossed and driven around on the slightest breeze.
I love the parallel passage in Jeremiah 17:
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
Jeremiah 17:5-8, emphasis added
And whose hope is the LORD.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
Why is the tree so stalwart, unbent and unwithered, when the heat and drought come? Because it is planted by the waters. Right next to a source of life. On the banks of the river, from which it draws the moisture it needs to grow in the summer and survive in the winter.
2. Like a Soldier
The Bible reminds us not only of the spiritual warfare happening around us (Eph. 6) but also of our identity as soldiers in this war:
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:3
My friend’s husband, Nick, just celebrated his nineteenth year in the Air Force. During his service he’s been deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Turkey. I asked him what soldiers do in between attacks or when things are quiet, and he gave me answers that correspond perfectly to our spiritual warfare.
After a firefight, soldiers follow a procedure they call LACE: checking everyone’s Liquids, Ammo, Casualties, and Equipment. They send the report to their higher-up and establish 360-degree security.
If soldiers are staying on a base in between missions, they’ll get food and water, rest, make sure their supplies and ammo are stocked, and reassess their strategy if needed. If they’re in the open and know they’ll be in one location for a while, they’ll set up a perimeter with a rotating watch and fortify their position, either with short-term measures like foxholes or long-term measures like deeper holes and structured walls.
In Nick’s own words, “The worst thing is being complacent and thinking there’s nobody out there. Staying frosty is what you want to do–being constantly aware of your surroundings and ready to react in a moment’s notice.”
First Peter 5:8, anyone?
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Peter 5:8
3. Like a House
The last passage that comes to mind–and the key idea of this post–is from Jesus’ parable of building the house:
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
Matthew 7:24-25
Storms come to every human on the face of the earth. What makes the difference between those who know Jesus and those who don’t, however, is what we’re built on.
When we have no foundation beneath us to keep us grounded, the floods will sweep us away. We will not stand and certainly will not last.
When we have a foundation, however, drilled into the bedrock of God’s Word and built firmly on His character and promises, we will withstand the storm and remain for generations, even if we lose some shingles and siding along the way.
Our Foundation in Chronic Illness
What about us in chronic illness? Like Joseph responding to God’s warning in Pharaoh’s dreams (Gen. 41), we need to use our years of plenty to prepare for the next years of famine.
Here are three tips for making the best use of your “time of peace” in chronic illness, however long it lasts:
1. Reflect
The first step any homeowner will take after a storm is to assess the damage.
Take advantage of this respite to check where you are and take inventory, if you will, of your heart. Examine what you’ve done, why, and how it aligns to God’s Word, as well as your goals and purposes.
In his book Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald writes that rest accomplishes three purposes: it helps us interpret and understand the meaning of the work we do (looking back), encourages us to identify the truths and values by which we live (looking up), and prompts us to pursue a tomorrow that centers around Christ (looking ahead).
It’s hard for us to slow down enough to do this kind of thinking in our day-to-day lives. During a lull in the storm of chronic illness, however, is the perfect time to sit down with the Lord and a Bible (and a journal too) and process where we are and what the storm revealed.
As I recently read in The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers,
Let me faithfully study my character,
p. 153
be willing to bring it to light,
observe myself in my trials,
judge the reality and degree of my grace,
consider how I have been ensnared or overcome.
2. Repair
The next step of a homeowner is to make repairs–sometimes as simple as cleaning up dead branches and extra leaves from the lawn, other times as intensive as replacing entire rooms.
Two weeks ago we learned about the sanctification process, the way God, like the fires of a furnace for precious metals, uses trials to “bring to the surface” our imperfections and carnal desires so that we can confess them, repent from them, and become purer representatives of Christ.
What sins, selfish motives, carnal desires, or ungodly responses were revealed in your trial that you need to bring to Him in repentance? How can you invite the Holy Spirit into your life to help you overcome these sins? What action steps and accountability partners can you prayerfully put in place to help you grow out of these sins?
3. Prepare
Finally, any wise homeowner will take measures to prepare for future storms.
While you should be reading your Bible and praying every day, this is your time to intentionally, deeply invest in your relationship with God.
Be in the Word. Pray. Memorize Scripture. Study. Learn from pastors, teachers, and bygone saints through sermons, books, podcasts, and other resources.
Importantly, when you’re studying and absorbing Scripture, don’t just focus on Scripture that relates to trials; take in passages that relate to you, the world around you, and the character of God. While it’s good to focus on needed passages when we’re in a trial, God’s Word has so much more to offer. Step back and take in some big-picture truths that you can bring with you to the next trial.
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
Psalm 119:11
That I might not sin against You.
Every verse you memorize, every word you study, every idea you take away is another round in the chamber to fire at the devil the next time he comes at you.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:17
The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
Proverbs 18:10
The righteous run to it and are safe.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
Psalm 18:2
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
How can we run to someone, or find refuge in someone, if we don’t know Him?
Remember Job. Remember how he cultivated a life of righteousness before the first of Satan’s darts flew at him. Remember the lesson he gives us: how you spend your time in a time of peace will determine how you stand in a time of trial.
Are you prepared?
How are you spending (or will you spend) your “time of peace”? Are you sending your roots out farther, drilling your foundation down deeper, and reloading your weapons? How are you investing in your relationship with God that will strengthen and shield you in the next storm?
The Valley 