The verse is talking about the top of the trials, which is martyrdom in the way of Allah (swt), and Allah (swt) introduces for it with the subject of patience. However, the way to it is through patience, remembrance and prayer. Trial is an exam, and life is an exam. Allah (swt) says:

   {تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ % الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ}

(Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent – % [He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed – and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving.)  (Al-Hajj:39-40)

The exam is not the problem, and the trial is not an evil thing, but the result of the exam is the evil thing if you fail, but if you pass, it is good:

   {وَنَبْلُوكُم بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً}

(And We test you with evil and with good as trial.)  (Al-Anbiyaa: 35)

(وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ  ) (And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger.): You will be tested and examined you. When we read the Holy Qur’an we should think of Allah’s (swt) saying:

{ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا }

(If it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction.)  (An-Nisaa: 82)

Had it been from another than Allah (swt), He would not say; “with something of fear”, because if Allah (swt) had tested us with fear, we would have all died, and if He (swt) had tested us by the lack of money, we would have not stayed alive. Therefore, He (swt) says; “With something” that is to mean “part”.

Trial is to fear of something that will happen, and sorrow is for something already happened. Life contains fear and as long as there is fear, you live in trials, no one of us have not felt afraid, either from a person, a disease or a calamity … But when you live with Allah (swt), you won’t be afraid of calamity before it happens because trial would not happen except combined with kindness. When you expect fear, you separate the calamity from the kindness, therefore you live in fear for a long time. This would lead to the collapse of the human being, and everyone in this world would experience fear.

Food is the fuel of human movement. In the verse, hunger means what disable human movement in life. This is due to several reasons including: drought, lack of rain, high prices, lack of yields and fruits…

(وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ  ) (and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.): Human being is a changeable; today he is rich, and tomorrow he is poor, today he is strong and tomorrow he is weak.

The patient believes in Allah’s (swt) promise. He abides by Allah’s (swt) commands, so that he makes himself one of the patients. It is mentioned in the Qudsi hadith:

He will say: Did you not know that My Servant So-and-so had fallen ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? “[1]

Allah (swt) would be with the sick, why? Because He is patient, you find Allah’s (swt) manifestations at him.

The good tidings are for the patients, who are content with Allah’s (swt) judgment, and have been patient of His (swt) trials.

 

[1] Sahih Muslim: The Book of Virtue, Joining of the Ties of Kinship and Enjoining Good Manners, Chapter: The Virtue of Visiting the Sick, Hadith no. 2569.