How to Find Wonderful Victory When Suffering Severely

Published by helloredds@gmail.com on 10/07/2025 10/07/2025

How to Find Wonderful Victory When Suffering Severely

Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

There are moments in life when the ground beneath you seems to shift, and hope feels impossible.

For our family, that moment came when we had to leave our home of 38 years, a time I now call ‘our Red Sea.’ Yet even there, I learned that Jesus offers a personal invitation to hope in the midst of suffering.

Suffering doesn’t give warning; it just arrives. The transition occurred during a significant period of change in our lives. God had led us to our forever home, 30 miles away from where we’d raised our children, in a completely new zip code. The move wasn’t easy, and challenges came fast.

During this time, I lost both of my parents within three months and eighteen days of each other. It felt as if my world was unraveling. Grief weighed heavily, the future was uncertain, and suffering pressed in from every side.

The Persistent Pressure

The persistent pressure, the overwhelming weight, and the deep loss are accurately described by the term “thlipsis” in the Bible. The Hebrew language uses this word for suffering and means “many trials and sorrows.” Strong’s Concordance gives us the sense of “pressure, oppression, stress, tribulation, adversity, affliction, crushing, squashing, squeezing, or distress.”

Imagine placing your hand on a stack of loose items and pressing them down until every piece collapses. That is “thlipsis,” the kind of weight that leaves you breathless. In Scripture, it’s the word used to describe the crushing of grapes or olives in a press.

Understanding the weight of” thlipsis” helps us grasp just how profound Jesus’ words are when He said, ‘I have told you this so that you may have peace in me.

Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33). His words remind us that peace isn’t the absence of suffering, but we can find hope in the middle of it.

Hope Doesn’t Deny the Darkness – It Defies It

Hope doesn’t deny the darkness; it defies it. Like a lone candle in a cave, it may feel small and fragile, but its light pushes back miles of shadows.

Scripture reminds us, “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). And when the nights feel endless, hope whispers: the morning is still on its way. The same God who holds the stars in their places is holding you, even here, even now.

I think back to our own journey of moving forward step by step, often stumbling through uncertainty. We longed for a place to plant roots, but doors kept closing, and the right land seemed impossible to find. It wasn’t just the delay that wore on us; it was the weight of uncertainty and grief we suffered.

It felt as if we were stripped of our strength, both physically and spiritually. Searching for land while carrying that ache felt, at times, hopeless and endless. 

However, God…

However, God provided the faith and hope we needed as we were guided only by His steady and quiet assurance. He moved us forward in faith when we couldn’t see the next step, becoming an invitation to deeper trust. When pain and suffering pressed in from every side, we knew God was leading us.

We believed that through all the changes, we would not be consumed by all the details that surrounded our family. His Word says in Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–4). We didn’t feel that joy in that moment, but we clung to the promise that nothing was wasted, not one tear, or one hope-filled prayer. 

Hope Eventurally Broke Through

Hope eventually broke through.

The very land that once seemed out of reach became the gift God had prepared. He planted us in the middle of ten beautiful acres. He established our family on a piece of property that carries the fingerprints of His faithfulness. In every step, even when it felt like a heavy stall, we know it wasn’t aimless but was divinely guided by His unseen hand.

That’s what hope in the dark does: it keeps us moving when we want to give up. It reminds us that even when suffering surrounds us, God is near. Even when the way ahead looks uncertain, He is already there, preparing the ground and securing our steps.

Pain is not the end of the story. In Christ, hope is the anchor that steadies us until the morning breaks.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19).

Closing Prayer

“Lord, thank You for being my anchor when suffering feels like too much to bear. Teach me to trust You in the waiting, when I cannot see the next step.

Hold me close when the weight presses in and remind me that my pain is never wasted in Your hands. Plant my heart deeply in Your promises and let hope rise again, until joy comes with the morning. Amen.”

About the Author: Janelle Keith

Janelle Keith has learned, most times the hard way, that burnout isn’t a badge of honor. After running on empty one too many times, she discovered that true rest isn’t found in bubble baths or beach days (though she’s not opposed to either), but in the quiet presence of God. Now, she helps others ditch the hustle for holy ground.

Janelle lives on a peaceful patch of land just outside Stillwater, Oklahoma, with her husband, Terry, her favorite napper and life co-adventurer, and their nearby family. She’s a regular contributor to the YouVersion Bible App, where her Bible reading plans are known to nudge hearts closer to Jesus.

Whether through books, devotionals, or honest conversations, Janelle encourages others to walk by faith, live with joy, and maybe, just maybe, take a nap without guilt. 

Connect with Janelle Keith:

More information is available at her website: www.thejanellekeith.com.

IG–thejanellekeith

FB: http://www.facebook.com/janellekeith

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