"The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

Have you ever looked at someone else’s life and thought, “They have it all together. Life must be easy for them?” I used to think this way when I heard the phrase, “Life’s not always a bed of roses.” I imagined other people lying in a soft, beautiful bed of roses, surrounded by the sweet fragrance of life as if their days were free from struggle and filled with ease. In contrast, my own life sometimes felt far from that “bed of roses,” and I imagined that others were experiencing a blissful existence while I faced hardship. But over time, I learned this truth — even if people were lying in a bed of beautiful roses, hidden beneath those soft petals and fragrant blooms, there are thorns.

Everyone faces challenges—no one’s life is without difficulties, even if they aren’t always visible. While we might envy what seems like a perfect life, the reality is that thorns come with every “bed of roses.” The question is, how do we handle the thorns?

Job’s life is a perfect example of someone whose “bed of roses” turned into a sea of thorns. At the start of his story, Job had everything—wealth, a loving family, good health, and a prosperous life. He was a man blessed with ease, much like the picture of a perfect life that we often imagine. But in an instant, everything was taken away from him. His wealth was lost, his children died, and he was struck with painful sores from head to toe. The beauty of his life turned into a painful, thorny reality. Yet, through it all, Job did not curse God or give up on his faith. Instead, he questioned, he lamented, and he wrestled with God, but he ultimately chose to trust in God’s sovereignty and goodness, even when life made no sense.

Job’s example teaches us an important lesson: when life gives us thorns instead of roses, we don’t have to have all the answers, but we can choose to trust God. Job’s story reminds us that it’s okay to struggle and ask tough questions, but we must hold on to faith in God’s ultimate wisdom and goodness, even in the midst of our pain. Like Job, we can acknowledge the thorns but still choose to trust in God’s purpose, knowing that He is with us through the hardships.

Have you ever felt like Job, struggling with hardship and not understanding why things are happening the way they are? Ask God to help you through this struggle. Keep trusting God, even when life doesn’t make sense. Remember, we are never alone in our struggles. Please share a comment if you need prayer today, or share this post with someone who might need a reminder that God is with us through all the trials of life.

A Prayer for Today

Dear Lord, When life feels overwhelming, and nothing makes sense, teach us to lean on You and not lose hope. Remind us that we can ask tough questions and pour out our hearts to you.  Help us know that You are there, even when we can't feel Your presence. We trust that You have a purpose in everything, and we choose to place our hope in You today. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Related Verses

• James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
• Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
• Isaiah 55:8-9 “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'”
• Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
• 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
• 1 Peter 1:6-7“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
• Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”