May 5: When Everything Falls Apart

 Theme: Holding On to Faith in Hard Times

Camile Beckford-Johnson
Savannah SDA Church

Scripture: Job 2:9-10 (NKJV)

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

There are moments in life when everything seems to crumble around us. We pray, believe, and hold onto hope, and yet, despite our earnest cries to God, the outcome is not what we expected. I lived this reality when my mother and my best friend, June, passed away just a week before we were supposed to spend Christmas together. I had prayed fervently for her healing, clinging to the belief that God would answer. But instead of a joyful reunion, I was met with unimaginable grief.

The pain was more than emotional; it was soul-crushing. I found myself stuck in the depths of sorrow and confusion, wondering why God had allowed such a thing to happen. The holidays, once a season of joy, became a painful reminder of what I had lost. For years, I carried that weight, and the emotional trauma became a part of me. I loved God, but I couldn’t understand why He hadn’t answered my prayers the way I hoped.

Job’s story reminds us that faith doesn’t mean we will escape suffering. Job lost everything, his children, his health, his wealth, and yet he refused to curse God. He acknowledged that life brings both good and bad, and his faith wasn’t dependent on his circumstances.

For me, healing didn’t come overnight. It came when God led me to a faith-based therapist,  a woman of God whose own personal experiences with grief and restoration helped her guide me through mine. She walked alongside me, helping me process the pain and develop healthy ways to live again. I am consoled knowing that while my mother wasn’t healed physically, she was healed spiritually. Her suffering ended, and now she is resting, awaiting the Lord’s return. That truth became a cornerstone of my healing.

Sometimes, God’s answers don’t look like what we expect. We may not get the miracle we asked for, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t working. His miracle may come in a different form, through people, through comfort, and through the strength to keep going when we feel like giving up.

If you’re in a season where everything seems to be falling apart, hold on to your faith. Even when the pain feels unbearable, trust that God is still with you. He sees your tears, hears your prayers, and will bring healing, maybe not in the way you imagined, but certainly in the way you need.

Reflection:

• What are you holding onto that you need to release to God today?
• How can you remind yourself that God is still at work, even in the midst of your pain?

Prayer:

Father, I don’t always understand Your ways, but I trust that You are good. When everything around me falls apart, strengthen my heart to hold on to my faith. Help me release the need to control the outcome and instead surrender fully to Your perfect will. Remind me that You are the God who sees me, hears me, and carries me through even the darkest valleys.

Lord, I ask for the courage to let go of my pain, my fear, and my doubts, to place them at Your feet and trust that You will lead me to a place of peace and restoration. Give me the strength to believe that Your plan is greater than my understanding and that Your love will sustain me through it all.

Thank You for never leaving me, even when my heart feels shattered. I believe You are working behind the scenes, bringing beauty from ashes and joy from mourning. Help me walk each day with renewed hope and unwavering faith in Your promises.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.