The Key to Overcoming Giant Despair

Let me say a few things about what has directed my life and thinking and where I'm going tonight in my preaching number of things. One is just this ongoing trial of covert that seems to have no end to it and then we hear prognosticators telling us to get ready for a long, dark winter for those who have suffered through coven. Those who have done so with loved ones been separated from them in hospitals, some who have not had the opportunity to even be near a loved one at their bedside when they passed from this life.

Do not I do not diminish quarter of a million plus people who we are told of died from coven.

It is a very challenging time.

There is a spirit of gloom and doom around us. There is a lot of uncertainty there is a lot of conflicting information. It's hard to be able to sort fact from fiction. Those things are very troubling.

It is disrupted our lives. It is disrupted our church and its normal ebb and flow so that is been on my heart and mind. We made a trip to Ohio. And as we made that trip, we were reminded of how much different winter is in Northwestern Pennsylvania and Ohio than it is typically here and we were treated to a 3 to 4 inches of fresh snow. While we are in Ohio and that was a delight delight to be able to enjoy it and leave, but we were reminiscing and thinking of winters that we live through. We spent half of our lives in Northwestern Pennsylvania and there were times that when snow came in December. You didn't see the ground again until early April would be a long, long winter, and with not only the snow there would be days upon days upon days, consecutive days of no son and just how of the effect that that had on the psyche and on your emotional state in your emotional health. Carly's mother is 96 years of age and every winter. In one sense, I do know that she dreads winter, but it's it's a season that you enter into knowing you can't change that in you long for it to be over so that spring can come.

She is given up her driving. She's now confined to the home so she can get out and there is that affect our home church. Half the church is been an infected with coven that is been an issue friend of mine that was influential in me coming to faith in Christ and to think along that would be 40 years or so ago. Now that long 1979 2040 years ago how a man who invited us and opened his home to a Bible study and it was there that we saw evidence of the grace of God in the lives of people that attracted us to Christ and created a hunger in our hearts to be saved now. It's maybe been four weeks or so ago, four, five, six weeks ago. Ken Miller, he took his own life and very troubling very hard understand hard to explain. So those are the things that have affected my life and caused me to go in the direction I'm going tonight we hear talk of canceling Christmas how you cancel Christmas by the way, you can cancel Christmas, you know what they mean by that.

They're calling for people to stay home and not gather with their families and that's another thing that his created this darkness and gloom and doom.

Listen to this him that we saying in before I read the words of these four stanzas dear refuge of my weary soul. I went through the him and I listed some of the words that speak to the subject.

It's on my mind that we will be addressing from the Scriptures tonight, weary soul when gloomy doubts prevail when waves of trouble roll when hope faints and declines. Grief and pain and sorrow and mourning.

Those are all words that are found in this him dear refuge of my weary soul dear refuge of my weary soul on the when sorrows rise on the when waves of trouble roll my fainting hold relies to the Eitel each rising grief for thou alone canst heal thy word can bring a sweet relief for every pain I feel.

But all men gloomy doubts prevail. I fear to call the mind, the springs of comfort seem to fail and all my hopes Klein yet gracious God, where shall I flee thou art my only trust and still my soul would cleave to the though prostrate in the dust.

Hast thou not bid me. Seek thy face, and shall I seek in vain and can the ear of sovereign grace be death. When I complain no still, the year of sovereign grace attends the mourners prayer. Oh, may I ever find access to breathe my sorrows there thy mercy seat is open. Still here let my soul retreat with humble hope attend thy will and wait beneath my feet by mercy seat is open. Still here let my soul retreat with humble hope attend thy will and wait beneath thy feet were the great all-time preachers Charles Haddon Spurgeon once wrote I am the subject of depression so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to Stephen Lawson writes in his commentary on the book of Job. Every person has a breaking point. Even genuine believers have a point at which they can become severely discouraged and even depressed. Such despair can cause a person to want to give up on life.

John Bunyan over 300 years ago, wrote the classic Pilgrim's progress and that allegory, the main character Christian is a man who overcomes many obstacles in his journey from the city of destruction to the celestial city that is heaven. Bunyan portrays the adventures of this young disciple and in early in the in his book Christian is traveling with his companion hopeful and they are captured by giant despair and thrown into a dungeon inside doubting Castle in the morning they are carried out into the castle courtyard and shown the bones of other pilgrims who never had escaped from giant despair, Christian and hopeful refuse the Giants demands to recant and are returned to their cell after being severely beaten and as the pilgrims began to succumb to despair. Christian remembers a way to escape.

He's able to unlock their cell door with the key that he'd been given earlier they escape doubting Castle and giant despair. Not by a show of force or innate determination, but by a key given to Christian and that key is called promise tonight.

I want us to consider two chapters in the book of Job chapters 6 and seven will be looking at this in a bit of a Broadway but who has suffered in the history of mankind. More than this man, Joe, and moments he lost everything that made meaning that made life meaningful to him. He lost his wealth, he lost his family. He lost his health and he is outside the city on the garbage dump the ice sheep scraping himself with pieces of broken pottery to relieve the pain and the itching and his friends come well-meaning friends they come and sit with him and say nothing for a number of days that a ministry to them. Ministry presence just to go and be with him and to mourn with him and commiserate with him. And yet when they began to speak, they added insult to injury because they had bad theology in chapter 6 and seven we have in chapter 6 we have Job speaking to his friends and then in chapter 7 we have Job speaking to God and I will read the entirety of chapters 6 and seven, but let me read Job chapter 7 and I'm reading this out of the new American Standard Bible to find your place there in Job chapter 7. Let me read Job chapter 7, there were 21 versus again this is the account of Job speaking to God about his situation and his circumstances is not man forced labor on earth and are not his days like the days of a hired man as a slave who pants from the shade and as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages, so MRI allotted months of vanity and nights of trouble are appointed me when I lie down, I say, when shall I arise, but the night continues and I am continually tossing until dawn. My flesh is clothed with worms and across the dirt. My skin hardens and on my days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle and come to an end without hope. Remember that my life is but breath. My eyes will not again see good the eye of him who sees me will be hold me no longer your eyes will be on me but I will not be when a cloud vanishes it is gone so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up. He will not return again to his house, nor will his place know him anymore.

Therefore I will not restrain my mouth I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul, and why the sea or the sea monster that you set a guard over me.

If I say my bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint then you frighten dreams and terrify me by visions so that my soul would choose suffocation death rather than my pains I waste away. I will not live forever, leave me alone for my days are but a breath, what is man that you magnify him than that you are concerned about him that you examine him every morning and try him every moment, will you never turn your gaze away from me, nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle. Have I sinned, what have I done to you. A watcher of men. Why have you set me as your target, so that I am a burden to myself, why then do you not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity for now I will lie down in the dust, and you will seek me, but I will not be its Job chapter 7. But before we look at some things there in Job chapter 7 let's consider Job chapter 6 and it's there that Job speaks to his friends and there are four things here under this heading of Job speaking to his friends, number one, Job apologizes to his friends in Job chapter 6123 then Job answered all all that my grief were actually weighed and laid in the balance, together with my calamity, for then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas. Therefore my words have been rash there's his confession or his apology. My words have been rash to paraphrase what Job is saying he is responding to his friends anything a listen man I know that I'm speaking reckless words.

But understand that if you put my grief and calamity on the scales it would outweigh the sand of the seas, and again, as I said earlier, few men in the history of mankind suffer like this man suffered his calamity was great, and it's I think a reminder to us that when we come alongside. We know and love and care about and we see them devastated by life and tragedy and difficulty in sickness and death and other things we need to not be critical of people. We need to backup and assess where they are. What is happened to them and allow people to have a a an emotional reaction. Sometimes people react emotionally and what they say and how they respond is not the most favorable thing but it's been my experience that after a while.

After the emotional response people's feet hit the ground and they land on solid ground.

If there Christian. So let's not be critical of every word, every thought, every action with people. Let's give them space. Let's allow them react and respond the life because our turn will come in.

We want people to be as gracious to us as we need to be toward others so Job is confessing and keep in mind who this man is this is a man God Bragdon about a man perfect, not perfect. In fact, in incense of sinless, but a very outstanding man and yet he's saying confessing that in the midst of his calamity had spoke words that were rash.

Second, I wanted to see the Job admits to his hopeless vulnerability verse four. He says for the arrows of the Almighty are within me there poison my spirit drinks. The tears of God are arrayed against me was he saying he saying there's nowhere left.

I if God is firing his arrows at me.

Where am I going to hide. He never misses. He has perfect game and then he says there's nothing left for me to enjoy. As I think about where my life is all that's been taken from me there is nothing left for me to enjoy this and how he expresses that in verses five through seven.

He says does the wild donkey bray over his grass, or does the ox low over his father would of course they do. It's their way of expressing their satisfaction and enjoyment of that verse six can something tasteless be without salt or is there any taste in the white of an egg verse seven. My soul refuses to touch them. They are loathsome food to me.

Job is saying there's nothing left in life to enjoy. Not even the simple pleasure of a boiled egg, no enjoyment of life for him and in Job's final remarks about his condition. Verses eight through 10 oh that my request might come to pass in the God would grant my longing would that God were willing to crush me, that he would loose his hand and cut me off, but it is still my consolation and I rejoice in unsparing pain that I have not denied the words of the holy one. Notice that in the midst of his pain in the midst of his loss in the midst of his calamity in the midst of his distress and despondency. This man still has faith, he still clinging to God a big family, but he still confessing. Notice what he said it is still my consolation and I rejoice in unsparing pain that I have not denied the words of the holy one. How Satan must've been upset and hated those words because he was hoping that Job would turn on God and blaspheme God and attack the character of God and yet Job doesn't do that.

Job appeals to his friends for real compassion, listen to what he says in verse 14 of chapter 6, he says for the despairing man. There should be kindness from his friend so that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty. Was he saying in the company of my friends what I need what I want what I long for more than anything is a manifestation of kindness for the despairing man. There should be kindness from his friend kindness.

Apparently he didn't believe that his friends were being very kind doing in their condemning condescending speech toward him. In fact, he says in verse 15. My brothers have acted deceitfully like a body like the torrents of Hawaii's which vanish what what is he woodsy speaking of their blood bend Israel.

I've stood in a place and look down on the deserted, like place and seen a place where there was green grass in the midst of nothing but stone and and brown dirt and rocks and that green was the evidence of a wadi waddy is a desert stream streambed that brushes with water during the rainy season but it dries up in the summer. Notice how this is carried on verse 16 is talking about these waddy's which are turbid because of ice, and into which the snow melts when they become waterless they are silent when it is hot, they vanish from their place.

The paths of their course wind along, they go up and did nothing and parish. The caravans of team a look at the travelers of Sheba hope for them. They work disappointed, for they had trusted the cane there and were confounded. See travelers knew where waddy's were in the idea anticipation and expectation that they would find water and these caravans would travel to these waddy is only to be disappointed and find the completely dried up and and travelers would perish, and Job is likening his friends to a deceitful waddy that promised water promised refreshment that provided nothing. Job is saying I'm following after you hoping for refreshing water, but it the end of the day you have nothing to offer me you haven't even given me a little drop of compassion and in the fourth thing in this chapter. Job says that his friends have not been helpful in their counsel, they have not been helpful in her counsel, he says in verse 24. Teach me teach me and I will be silent and show me how I have erred, show me go to St. Louis friends listen I don't need accusation I need illumination. Show me my fault. Show me my sin and I'll readily confess and repent of it, but they were mistaken. They had created a theological cause and effect in their minds and work conveyance that Job's suffering was due to his great sin, Job know himself that he wasn't a sinless person but he knew that he had not seen previously to provoke God to deal with them the way he had. So again, Job is speaking to his friends that not been helpful to them in their counsel to them. But now let's turn to chapter 7 where we find Job speaking to God, he turned his attention away from speaking to his friends and now he is speaking to God. The first thing I want you to see is Job of Moran's the mystery of his suffering. He mourns the misery of the suffering he says is not man forced labor on earth and are not his days like the days of a hired man and as a slave of pants for the shade and as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages so I am allotted months of vanity and nights of trouble are appointed to me.

What's he saying is ignored, even a slave who works in the hot sun eventually gets a chance to rest in the shade and a hired hand who works hard, at least has his paycheck to look forward to, but I don't have any relief.

There is no shade tree under which my sorrow can find rest in his language here that shows us the Job's physical condition is worsening. My flesh is Claude with worms and a crust of dirt. My skin hardens and runs open Boyles infection it. It's hard to imagine from the top of his head to the soul of his feet. This man is covered in Boyles. He mourns the misery of the suffering. Secondly, he bemoans the brevity of his life was and what he says in verses six and seven. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and they come to an end without hope and then he says, remember that my life is but breath my I will not again see good was he saying here he say Lord since my life is so short anyway wind.

Why let me linger. Why not ended. Lord, the grave would be better than my painful life and things can get to that place for us again I'd I don't have explanations for my friend Ken Miller taking his life.

I just know some of his life's experience and what he was dealing with.

He was married as a young man had three children to lovely wife and his wife died of cancer and left him would work. He remarried and God gave him a son to this wife and they were married for nearly 40 years, but his oldest son had cancer and was dying of cancer in Canada just found out the day before he took his life that he had prostate cancer and again I don't know. I'm thinking in my mind. He couldn't stand to see his oldest son died of cancer he seen his wife died of cancer he dealt with pain, excruciating pain, chronic pain for years and years and years back pain. He had back surgery so I don't know whether that was a factor there came a point in his life that he thought you know what life is not worth living. My life is short. I live my life. I'm gonna in my life and God allowed them to do that.

I struggling struggling. I was very trouble when I got the news that he would do that to his wife, his children, his grandchildren, that would be a legacy that he would leave it's it's troubling that we see Job here basically saying that since my life is short anyway.

Why let me linger.

Why not ended Lord to grade would be better than my painful life.

Then he says this in verse 15, so that my soul would choose suffocation death rather than my pains. This is the verse that John Bunyan put into the mouth of Christian is he languished in the cell deep in the dungeon of doubting Castle Christian says to his companion. Shall we be ruled by this giant I know not whether it is best to live like this, or to die, the grave is easier for me than this dungeon. Yeah, you cannot escape the reality that has Bunyan panned Pilgrim's progress from a prison cell. He was imprisoned because he was holding on authorized church services that Bunyan was not just writing allegorically he was writing autobiographical. He here he wants in a prison cell and perhaps suffering from despondency and despair endowed and all the rest the natural cry of the believer under great suffering is how long how long, O Lord, is it for the rest of my life. If so, take me take me take me on the heaven considering Job's talk to God. He number one mourns the misery of the suffering number two. He bemoans the brevity of his life.

Number three. Job laments a loss of communion with God. Notice what he says in verses 20 and 21. Have I sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of men. Why have you set me as your target, so that I am a burden to myself, why then do you not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity for now I will lie down in the dust, and you will see me but I will not be it's obvious I think to us that at this point in the life of Job.

He is bound he is in the depths of doubting Castle but is Bunyan found a way for Christian and hopeful to escape doubting Castle. It happens to be the same method that we find in the Scriptures. The same method of escape, that God is provided of us when we find ourselves in a place of despair and despondency and gloom and doom and depression. We sing this wonderful him penned by Chris Anderson relentless love.

My thoughts were drawn to the third stanza that says relentless love preserves my life from unbelief sustains me through my CN. My doubt, my grief, it's God in his grace at his saved us. It's God's grace that keeps us, sustains us, sustains me through my CN.

My doubt, my grief since Christ has done it all, though feeble, I will not fall his wounded hands hold me, the sinner's chief you see there are people who read the book of Job and and come away with in amazement of this man Job and how is Polly maintained his faith. He never turned on God. He never gave a copy endured.

He persevered, he kept kept on and there's another way of looking at it because reality is, Job was feeble.

Job was weak Job that God's Job had grief in the God who granted him faith is the God who sustains that faith, so as we come to the book of Job, we shouldn't be shocked or we shouldn't be in all of the faith of Job, we should be in all the God who sustained the faith of Joe because he begins a good work in us as promised to continue it until the day of Christ Jesus, so it's it's encouraging for us to think about this, that yes, our faith is weak, sometimes our faith is sorely tried but the God who granted us. Faith is the God's promise to sustain our faith find hope in that yes earlier in Pilgrim's progress. Christian had been given a small key and told that whenever he needed to open the door he should use this gift and that special key had a name and that name was promise that night in their dungeon cell Christian suddenly remembered he had the key in his pocket and he pulls it out and indeed he is able to unlock the cell door and the outer gate as well and he and his companion escape doubting Castle and the clutches of giant despair. Again, not by their own strength or determination but by the key, representing the promises of God was. I bring this message to a conclusion I'd like to direct our thoughts to not Job speaking to his friends not Job speaking to God. But what does God had to say to us what is the word of God had to say to us if we find ourselves in a place of gloom and doom and despair. Grief and sorrow.

Here are some things. Second Peter 14 tells us that God has given us what exceedingly great and precious promises, so when you conclude that God isn't present that God is nowhere to be found in God is abandoned you.

He hasn't. He has an abandon you. God is a very present help in time of trouble. Hebrews 13 versus five verse five says I will never leave you nor forsake you see we have got to listen to the word of God and not to our fleeting emotions that can speak so loudly to us and of the capacity to so control our lives. It can feel like it can feel like God has abandoned us. But don't live by your feelings, live by the truth of the word of God. God is said I will never leave you nor forsake you. Let that be an anchor. Let that be a foundation and when you feel life is hopeless. It isn't.

It isn't Jeremiah 2911 for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare or not for calamity. Do give you a future and a hope or hope is so full of anticipation and brighten glorious when you again when you feel like it's hopeless. It isn't, you know the story of Corrie 10 boom young Dutch Christian who helped hide Jews from the Nazis during World War II.

She survived the horror of a Nazi concentration camp and she said this.

There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still that was true for her. That is true for us. When you believe that God doesn't care. He cares he cares cast all your anxiety on him because what he cares for you.

He cares for you and the tents there in the verb continually. He continually cares, he constantly without ever stopping cares and is concerned for us. When you think you know better than God does.

You don't when you think you know better than God does.

You don't hear people say, well, if I were God I would do this or that know if you were God, you would do exactly what God is done okay.

We have such narrow focus. We have soft finite mind, God is infinite God sees things we can't even begin to consideration. As consideration for bring into the equation when you think you know better than God does. You don't. Psalm 1830 says. As for God's ways blameless. The word of the Lord is tried, he is a shield to all who take refuge in him is promises of been tried. They been tested. They have been found true when you don't feel loved. You are you are, for I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, or any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Again, that whole business of feelings when you don't feel loved your is think of the cross. Think of what God is done for us in Christ Jesus you see were not alone were deeply love whether we sense it or not, whether we concluded whether we feel it or even believe it. God loves us.

When George Matheson was a teenager he learned that he had poor eyesight and that that eyesight would eventually deteriorate until he could no longer see he finished his studies at Glasco University in Scotland. He graduated from college. When he was 19 he began graduate studies, but at the age of 20, George Matheson became totally blind. He had two sisters that loved them so dearly that they learned Greek and Hebrew, so that they could assist him in his studies of amazed by the he persevered despite the fact that the woman he was engaged to marry ended their engagement because she did not want to be married to a blind man in the pain of that rejection never left George. He never married, but he graduated God called him to the pastorate, and he served in the pastorate for 31 years. Queen Victoria often invited him to preach to the royal court. In fact, she paid to have his sermons on the book of Job published after his youngest sister married, leaving him entirely alone. George became overwhelmed with sorrow but instead of languishing in his sorrow he sat down and he wrote the words to a pole that senses become a beloved hymn of the church listen to the words.

If I can even speak to you all. Love that will not let me go.

I rest my weary soul in the eye. Give me back the life I owe that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer Fuller be. Oh joy that seek us me through pain. I cannot close my heart to the I trace the rainbow through the rain and feel the promise is not in vain that mourn shell materialists be oh cross that lift us up. My head, I dare not ask to fly from the I lay in dust life's glory dead, and from the ground. There blossoms read life that shall endless be folks this is the way we escape doubting Castle. This is the way we escape the clutches of giant despair.

While I was in seminary, one of the professors was Chip Davidson not Davidson chip this last name escapes me right now, but he suffered from a muscular disease.

He could barely walk. He had braces for his arms and his legs and he would hobble to the front and in pain. He would lecture and it was a seminary class filled with about 1415. Men we would open every single class by singing a cappella him. This is one of the hymns that we sign tell the history of these hymns and it was so motivating and moving and inspiring to see this man traverse around the campus in with great difficulty because of the MS is what he had and never complain live the life of joy and satisfaction and contentment and I was inspired as much by his life.

As I was classroom.

Here it is 2025. Somewhere between 25 and 30 years ago and is buying his name and his person's life comes to my mind even as I bring this message message to a close. The impact that that man had his.

He faithfully served the Lord and maintain his faith, so may God help us in these difficult days, as we are told were going to enter a dark long dark winter will some preps of entered a long, dark winter and it was long before covert ever arrived. Here's help.

We have the promises of God we have a God who is faithful when we are faithless, he remains faithful shall we pray now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Amen