In the Middle 4: How Steady Trust in God Restores Us

Trust in God - this can be a bigger step than most of us want to admit. There is a holy mystery in the way God works during the “middle” seasons of our lives. We often want the ending—the restoration, the rebuilding, the clarity. But God often does His deepest, most transformative work before the restoration arrives. If you need to catch up, you can find "In the Middle" 1, 2, and 3 here.

Job’s story teaches us this: sometimes God changes us long before He changes our circumstances. The middle is where God strengthens, steadies, restores.

Job’s Turning Point: An Encounter, Not an Explanation

Job spent chapter after chapter asking God why. He wanted answers, explanations, and clarity. His friends tried to offer reasons and explanations, but those fell short for sure.

When God finally spoke, He didn’t give Job reasons - He gave revelation. God revealed His greatness, sovereignty and wisdom.  He reminded Job of His intimate care over all creation. When Job answers the Lord, his response is so beautiful and shows growth and understanding that he did not have before: 

Job answered the Lord and said:

“I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

Listen, please, and let me speak;
You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’

I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You”. (Job 42:2-5)

“I had heard of You…but now my eye sees You.” (It's not a psalm, but still a great place for a selah - pause and think of that!)

Sometimes the “next step” in your healing is not the restoration you were hoping for in the natural - sometimes the next step is a clearer vision of who God is. Before anything in Job’s life was rebuilt, Job himself was restored. Hang in there - the restoration is coming for Job!

From the Wounding Came Faithful Healing

The enemy meant to destroy Job, but God had a greater plan: pruning, not punishment; refining, not rebuke.

God’s faithfulness throughout our in-the-middle days leads to:

• deeper dependence
• stronger trust
• clearer vision
• a steadier heart

This is the kind of trust that isn’t shaken by circumstances because it wasn’t built on circumstances. This is how God restores us “in the middle”—not with explanations, but with formation.

Job’s Restoration and His Trust in God: A Biblical Example

Job’s story doesn’t end with unanswered questions—it ends with restoration that reflects God’s faithfulness and the fruit of His work in the middle. Scripture tells us:

• Restored possessions and family: “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys.” (Job 42:12)
• Restored family relationships: God gave Job seven sons and three daughters, and even the text notes the daughters were especially beautiful. (Job 42:13–15)
• Job’s response: Job prayed for his friends, demonstrating the humility, mercy, and wisdom he gained through his middle season. (Job 42:8–9)
• God’s faithfulness and vindication: Job’s health, reputation, and relationships were fully restored—not as if the pain never happened, but as a testimony of God’s faithfulness through the trial.

Job’s restoration shows us several truths for our own middle seasons:

• God restores what the middle has refined. The restoration comes after the heart has been shaped and trust deepened.
• Our response matters. Job prayed for those who had failed him, showing that restoration flows through humility, obedience, and mercy.
• God’s faithfulness is unwavering. Even when life seemed shattered, God had a plan to restore fully and abundantly.

By looking at Job, we see that restoration is not only about circumstances—it’s about transformation. God works on our hearts first, preparing us to receive and steward His blessings well.

Recognizing When God Is Leading You Into the “Next Step”

Restoration rarely arrives all at once. More often, it comes in quiet markers—holy hints that God is moving you forward:

•  Clarity begins to rise out of confusion. It doesn’t mean everything makes sense—just that something does.
• Peace slowly pushes out panic. Not because the situation has changed, but because God has strengthened your heart within it.
• Obedience becomes easier than resistance. Surrender feels less like loss and more like relief.
• You sense God inviting you toward something new. A next step or new habit or a release - these are signs of God’s hand restoring you from the inside out.

God Restores Before He Rebuilds

By the time Job’s circumstances were restored, Job was already different - more grounded, more trusting, more surrendered, more whole. That is what God does in the middle. He prepares you for the blessing He’s already prepared for you. He strengthens the foundation before He erects the new walls. He restores your heart before He restores your home. Let's trust in God as He works, before we see His intended end.

Let’s finish this up next week  - join me on the blog and/or the podcast!  Visit www.connectmentoringnetwork for more resources. I can’t wait to connect with you again soon!