Holding on when life feels fragile
“For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender shoots will not cease. Though its root may grow old in the earth, and its stump may die in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant. ~ Job 14:7-9
Today’s reading is another one of the rawest chapters in the Bible. Job is still pouring out his heart, overwhelmed by the brevity of life and the weight of suffering. He talks about how life is short and full of trouble, like a flower that withers or a shadow that disappears. He’s honest, vulnerable, and aching for answers.
I’ve had seasons where I felt like Job. I remember one particular year when loss seemed constant. A close family member passed away suddenly. A friendship I thought was unbreakable ended without explanation. At work, nothing was going right, and I felt like I was just surviving day to day. I found myself asking the same kinds of questions Job did: “Why even try? What’s the point when everything good fades so quickly?”
But even in Job’s despair, there’s a quiet longing for hope. In verse 7, he says, “At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.” Job might have felt hopeless about his situation, but something in him still recognized that renewal was possible. That verse became an anchor for me during that difficult time. If a tree that looks dead can sprout again, maybe I can too.
If you’re in a season where you’re struggling to see purpose or hope, here are some steps you can take:
- Get honest with God.
Job didn’t hold back, but he did go to God first. He didn’t clean up his thoughts before talking to God. Start your prayers with exactly how you feel, even if it’s messy. - Look for life in small places.
Just like Job noticed the tree sprouting again, take notice of any good thing God is doing around you, a kind word from someone, a moment of peace, a new opportunity. These are signs that all is not lost. - Write down what you’re hoping for.
Even if it feels impossible right now, putting your hope into words is a step toward believing it again. Hope grows when it’s spoken or written, even in its weakest form. - Give yourself permission to rest.
Sometimes, what you need most is not answers but space to breathe. Rest is not quitting, it’s trusting God to keep the world spinning while you regain strength.
Today I want to encourage you that it’s okay to question, to grieve, and to feel the full weight of life’s trials. But it also plants a seed of something powerful: God is not finished with you. Even when things feel cut down to the root, you are not beyond hope. Life may be fragile, but the God who created the seasons is also the God who restores. Your story is still unfolding, and even in loss, God can bring renewal.
Today’s scripture reading: Job 14
1 “How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble!
2 We blossom like a flower and then wither. Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.
3 Must you keep an eye on such a frail creature and demand an accounting from me?
4 Who can bring purity out of an impure person? No one!
5 You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.
6 So leave us alone and let us rest! We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.
7 “Even a tree has more hope! If it is cut down, it will sprout again and grow new branches.
8 Though its roots have grown old in the earth and its stump decays,
9 at the scent of water it will bud and sprout again like a new seedling.
10 “But when people die, their strength is gone. They breathe their last, and then where are they?
11 As water evaporates from a lake and a river disappears in drought,
12 people are laid to rest and do not rise again. Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up
nor be roused from their sleep.
13 “I wish you would hide me in the grave and forget me there until your anger has passed. But mark your calendar to think of me again!
14 Can the dead live again? If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle, and I would eagerly await the release of death.
15 You would call and I would answer, and you would yearn for me, your handiwork.
16 For then you would guard my steps, instead of watching for my sins.
17 My sins would be sealed in a pouch, and you would cover my guilt.
18 “But instead, as mountains fall and crumble and as rocks fall from a cliff,
19 as water wears away the stones and floods wash away the soil, so you destroy people’s hope.
20 You always overpower them, and they pass from the scene. You disfigure them in death and send them away.
21 They never know if their children grow up in honor or sink to insignificance.
22 They suffer painfully; their life is full of trouble.”
Journal:
- Where in your life do you feel “cut down” right now?
- Write a prayer asking God to show you what He can grow from that place.
- What kind of new life are you hoping to see?
The Daily Dose 