In the Middle 3: Receiving God’s Faithful Correction Before His Amazing Restoration

There is a unique kind of heaviness that settles over the heart when you are “in the middle” of a difficult season. You know God is faithful. You know restoration will come. You know the end of the story will be good because the Author is good. That doesn’t mean that today isn’t tough.  That doesn’t mean that being “in the middle” isn’t a hard place. Check out the first and second in this "in the middle" series and let's get started!

I was trying to explain this to a friend the other day, about my own “in the middle” moment.  Imagine it this way: your house has just burned down.  You are sitting on your knees across the street looking at the ashes and rubble. You’ve already been told the insurance will cover everything. You know a rebuild is coming. However, at this moment, you are grieving. You liked that house.  You liked that stuff.  Better is coming, but for now you’re living in the space between the loss and the restoration, between the breaking and the rebuilding. The insurance agent has promised: the check is in the mail. That’s a valid spot to be in, an emotional spot to be in, even when you know it’s going to be okay, between looking at ashes and cashing that check.

In that vulnerable middle place, God can begin to correct, shape, and grow us. His heart is always for our best, even on days that feel hard in our limited judgement (and our judgement is limited - let’s put a bookmark there and talk about this on another day).

Why God’s Correction Feels Threatening

Even when we believe God is good, His correction might feel sharp when we’re already hurting. Job experienced this. In the midst of unimaginable loss, he wrestled with big questions and deep frustrations. When God finally spoke, His words didn’t condemn—but they did confront.

Correction can feel threatening for a few reasons. Maybe we fear that it means we’ve done something wrong. Maybe we worry God is disappointed in us. Maybe in this moment, we’re already fragile, and anything that feels like pressure can feel overwhelming.

Hear His heart for you.  God is not angry, God is not disappointed, God is not done with you.  He loves those He corrects, remember? (Hebrews 12:6-11) When God speaks, let’s lean in.

Listening Without Defensiveness

One of the most sacred disciplines in the middle season is learning to listen to God without defending ourselves. Pain often makes us want to justify ourselves - but  God, in His kindness, invites us to open our hands and hearts instead.

Job shows us what this looks like. Even in his grief, he asked God honest, raw questions:

• “Why did I not perish at birth?” (Job 3:11)
• “Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul?” (Job 3:20)
• “Why do You hide Your face and count me as Your enemy?” (Job 13:23)
• “Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?” (Job 21:7)
• “How can a man be righteous before God?” (Job 4:17)
• “If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:14)
• “Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat! I would present my case before Him…” (Job 23:3–4)

God didn’t shy away from Job’s questions. In chapters 38–41, He responds.  He doesn’t condemn, He reminds Job of His power, wisdom, and the larger story beyond Job’s understanding. God’s answers are gentle yet firm: trust His design, lean on His wisdom, and recognize His sovereignty even in the middle of confusion and pain.

Humility in the middle doesn’t mean silence. It means asking hard questions, listening carefully, and allowing God’s correction and guidance to shape us—even when we don’t see the full picture yet.

Responding Practically When God Brings a Hard Truth

Sometimes God’s correction comes through Scripture, prayer, or through the Holy Spirit’s gentle conviction.

Here are a few ways to respond:

• Pause before reacting, because correction is not rejection. Let God finish the sentence before you jump in to defend or excuse.
• Surrender instead of resisting, because correction is not condemnation. Say to God, “If this is from You, I will yield to it”. 
• Stay rooted in grace, because correction is one of the ways God shapes us for the restoration He has already planned.

Reflection Questions for Your Middle Season

There are a couple of questions  I love to ask the Lord in my own in-the-middle seasons or on my tough days: 

“What aspect of Your character do You want to reveal to me in this?” 

“What is it that You want to be for me today that You were unable to be to me yesterday?” 

Not that there was ever a moment when God was limited - but perhaps I didn’t know what I needed.  I didn’t know I needed a provider until my need was revealed.  I didn’t know that I needed a healer until I had the negative diagnosis. I didn’t know I needed a shepherd until I felt lost. When those missing pieces were exposed, God’s character was revealed and I grew closer to Him. From that perspective, the in-the-middle moments are so valuable to our growth.

God answers those questions so faithfully every time.  He is right there in the middle with me.  He is right there in the middle with you.  

Once again, we are leaving Job in the middle!  Let’s continue this conversation again next week on the blog and on the podcast - I hope you’ll join me for this conversation next week as we continue talking about the value of our own in-the-middle days.  It’s such a joy and honor to connect with you!