Possibly the oldest book in the Bible, the book of Job—every page of it—is stained by tears. It tells one of our oldest stories—we all suffer, and suffering hurts.

Job was a good guy, “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). Even so, Job lost his wealth, his children, and his health. On top of that, his wife scolded instead of supported him, and his friends lectured instead of loved him. Job sat in an ash heap, covered with sores, heartbroken and discouraged, and still said of God, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (23:10).

God loved Job, and God loves you. He doesn’t allow suffering because He is displeased, disappointed, or punishing you. God allows the suffering that breaks His heart to accomplish in you what will eventually strengthen, cleanse, and beautify your own heart.

God didn’t save Job from suffering; He sustained him through it. And God will do the same for you. The same God who “suspends the earth over nothing” (26:7) is the God who holds you when you feel your sorrow may crush you.

If you feel like Job, remember that God’s love surrounds and sustains you. Nothing touches your life that has not first penetrated His heart and passed through His loving hand. Trust that “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted” (9:10). God can and will perform wonders and miracles in your life either by saving you from suffering or by sustaining you through it.

Often God chooses to love us through suffering because it moves us from just having a little information about God to a place of intimately knowing and depending on the God who loves us. Thank Him for using your suffering to help you see Him and His love for you more clearly. As Job said, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (42:5).