Trusting God When the Bottom Falls Out

I know what to do next turn in your Bible to Job chapter 3 Job chapter 3. This is not a feel-good portion of Scripture just give you heads up on that but it's a realistic appeal and a realistic picture of life in what suffering does to us in the struggles of our faith been bringing a series of messages on the development of persevering faith. That's what God was doing in the life of Job. And that's what God intends to do in the life of all of his children. God has many tools in his toolbox in order to produce that in our lives. You know, we have these wonderful statements from Job and we just stand back and were amazed in the face of incredible loss. He makes this statement. Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there.

The Lord gave the Lord is taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord in all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong will. While and then again the same thing when when health was taken from them.

He said something similar. We stand back and we wonder and say you know what could I could I respond the storms of life hit me like they hit Job what I what I would I come down but I be standing on my feet, or would I be a mess. Well were reminded that every day we have to get up and decide and determine were going to trust the Lord. You may have done well yesterday but it's funny how you can go to bed at night and have things resolved in your mind and feel pretty good and you wake up in the morning and you get hit in the face with what you thought you'd settled the day before and you're like what any any of you experience that and is like a fresh challenging like a way to minute I thought I thought I was over this hurdle and hit you in the face again.

Well that's what happened to Joe listen, this is on the heels of those incredible statements of faith.

Chapter 3.

After this nest is after Job's friends came and ministered to him. After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth, and Job spoke, and said May the day perish on which I was born in the night in which it was said a male child is conceived, may that day be darkness. May God above not seek it. May the light shine shine upon it may darkness and the shadow of death, claimant may a child may a cloud settle on it. May the blackness of the day terrify as for that night, may darkness seize it, may it not rejoice among the days of the year, may it not come into the number of the months old may that night be barren, may no joyful shout come into it.

May those curse it who curse the day. Let those who are ready to arouse Leviathan made the stars of its morning be dark made look for light, but have none, and not see the dawning of the of the day because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hide sorrow from my eyes.

Why did I not die at birth. Why did I not perish when I came from the womb.

Why did the knees receive me or why the breasts, that I should nurse for now I would have lain still and been quiet, I would've been asleep. Then I would've been at rest with kings and counselors of the earth, who built ruins for themselves or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like infants who never saw light there the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.

There the prisoners rest together.

They do not hear the voice of the oppressor. The small integrator there in the servant's front free from his master. Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, who long for death, but it does not come, and search for it more than hidden treasures, who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they can when they can find the grave.

Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in for my sighing comes before I eat in my groanings pour out like water, but the thing I greatly feared is come upon me and what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not a knees nor am I quiet. I have no rest, for trouble, will that's a different side is in the in the Job, we saw in chapters 1 and two of never never taught through the book of Job would never preach through the book of Job pretty much apart from a few random passages that I preached from my concentration in the book of Job is been chapters 1 and two, but this this brings us back to reality doesn't this man is struggling. This man did you notice the language in the references to darkness, no light, just he's overwhelmed. He's he curses the day he was born he wished today had never come on which he was born verse three he wishes the night had been had never been on which he was conceived. Verse three he wishes the day had been darkness. When he was born verse he wishes God.

He kept the light from ever dawning on that day.

Verse he wishes the blackness of night and gloom had blotted out verse five he says I wish to never celebrate my birthday again because I wish it had never happened. Verse six what would Job never say such things because he's depressed. He's he's hit rock bottom. He is a man gripped by sorrow and he's wishing that his life would end. This is what one commentator says about chapter 3. This is the third chapter of Job must be one of the most depressing chapters in the Bible. Few sermons are made from this chapter. Few verses are claimed as promises and few are remembered for their warmth. It may very well be the lowest point in the book so that's what you face when you preach through a book and you study through book. See you can go and read first two chapters, and come away with this picture of Joe man. This man lives on a plane nobody else lives on. How can anybody endure those losses and still is a man just like you and I and he had to hit rock bottom and he does he hits rock bottom.

Job is arrived at the point where he sees no good reason nor explanation for the trials of come upon he didn't see any end to his suffering. He assumes God is abandoned him and he sees no way of escape from his trouble. Job wishes he had died at birth. Verse 11 and 12. Why did I not die at birth. He says why did I not perish when I came from the womb. That's pretty hopeless is an and Job longs for death to come.

Notice first 2021. Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the who long for death, but it does not come, and search for it more than hidden treasure. While Job is not doubting the existence of God. In fact, he refers several times to God.

Any assumes that God is the one who has surrounded him. He says there in verse 23, God has hedged me in. He believes God is behind all of this now. It's important to make this distinction. Job is not talking about ending his life. He wants God take his life. There's a vast difference between those two both desire life then, but one leaves it up to God and the other was to take that matter and was on hands.

You know Job did not realize that he was a man on special assignment from God, not just for himself but for this his life story is recorded for us in here we are thousands of years later benefiting from his life. You all know the story of Johnny Erickson taught a lesson to her testimony she says as I lay immobilized in the hospital. My mind swirled with questions when I learned that my paralysis was going to be permanent. I was desperate for answers. One of the first places I turned after my diving accident was guess where Joe book of Job, so when life knocks your legs out from under you and you hit bottom nor the you think about your life in some of the frightening experiences you've had as a kid I remember jumping off a diving board in like 1214 feet Sosa don't worry about it when you hit bottom just your feet you come back up. I member jumping off the diving board and hit the water and thinking there is no bottom get on talking about. It's it's terrifying you think. What have I done. Am I gonna surface and it's kind like that here. Job in his struggle with his faith. He's hit bottom. He can't find footing, but he does find footing in God so other solutions when life is really knocked the wind out of us knocked her feet out from under us here some suggestions. It is absolutely critical that we think right thoughts about God.

The battle was in our mind and we get up in the morning and we start thinking God's abandoned me. God's against me with got a combat that second Corinthians chapter 10 in verse five admonishes us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Those are lies. God hasn't abandoned us. God is not against us.

If God be for us, who can be against us. If were a child of God would God is unequivocally demonstrated that these forests he's not against. We got a combat lies with truth CS Lewis was watching his wife lose her battle with cancer.

Listen what he said.

He says I am not in danger of ceasing to believe in the real danger is to believe terrible things about God.

The conclusion I dread is not, so there's no God. After all, but so this is what God is really like.

That's where he was struggling with got an adversary that loves to whisper in our year. If God really loved you wouldn't have done this to you. He wouldn't allow this to happen.

We've got to combat that refuse any counsel any thought.

They cut you that comes from yourself or any thought that comes from anybody else that denies the sovereignty of God. Any feeling any counsel that raises doubts about our past, our present or future not being under the guidance of the sovereign God of the universe is false. We must head that off another word, counsel do not avoid the means of grace when you're beat up and your sorrowing. It's easy to just turn it on yourself not want to be unkind, but in incense have a pity party.

What was me at the time we most need one another. We tend to isolate ourselves.

I will talk anybody see anybody that's not good. God is given us one another to help us bear each other's work. We need one another. It's hard it's hard to maintain your devotional life. It's hard to read the Scriptures when you're sorrowing, but cannot. Do not avoid the means of grace. Prayer continue to seek the Lord and then remember that others have walked similar paths again. This is from Johnny Erickson taught a trapped face down, staring at the floor. Hour after hour, she says, my thoughts grew dark and hopeless. All I could think was God. I prayed for a closer closer walk with you. And if this is your idea of an answer to prayer. I'm never going to trust you with another prayer again. I can't believe but I have to lie facedown and do nothing but count the tiles on the board. This torture rack. I hate my existence. She asked the hospital staff to turn the lights off and everybody leave the room and there she is in traction upside down, suspended from this apparatus staring at the floor.

Bad way. She says a friend came and listens to my rants and raves and cry and then she put a Bible on a little stool in front of me and turned to this verse. Psalm 18 six in my distress I called upon the Lord, and I cried to God for help.

I love the story that she tells about a woman with the name of Beverly who contacted her by email.

Her husband's name was Ron.

He was a pastor he been in an accident and you continue to minister for little while and then he just quit this with through from her withdrew from the family given up on life. Didn't want to talk to anybody didn't want to see anybody so this woman reaches out to Johnny Erickson taught and asked her if she would reach out to her husband Ron and this is what Johnny says about an account, she says. I responded to Beverly by calling information and tracking down Ron Beverly answered and after sharing a prayer with her. I asked if I could talk to Ron. She knocked on his door. He later took the phone under under his ear, and although he would not respond. I did little bit of shop talk about quadriplegia. Shocked about quadriplegia. She's trying to connect with him. I wanted to move beyond these topics. However, in bridge the conversation.

The spiritual things. I started to share favorite scriptures that have sustained me through the tough, the toughest of times, like Romans 818 for I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy being compared with the glory that is to be received by us.

Silence on the other end.

I even sang to him. Nothing says fine I did the only thing I could think of that I did not already tried. I asked Ron if he ever seen a movie called Shawshank redemption.

Why yes I have. He said don't Johnny says I can't go. I couldn't believe Ron had responded well. Ron dear remember when red found Andy's letter dear remember what he said I think so hope is a good thing.

No good thing ever dies, Ron. There are 10,000 other quadriplegics like you and me across America and all of them were lying in bed this morning wondering whether or not they should get busy living or get busy dying Ron. I'm going to make a choice to get busy living. Do you want to join me today. He said yes ma'am yes I do. The last Johnny heard was a Ron and Beverly were active in sharing their testimony to everyone preaching far near hit hit rock bottom in some of us have been hit hard by life with hit rock bottom in we learn things we wouldn't of learned any other way and we have to make choices only my gun give up for my going to keep trust in the Lord.

Job thought he was forgotten.

Was he was. Joe forgotten no he was always under the watchful eye. Despite his circumstances and he certainly had no idea that he would be remembered by millions of believers throughout the course of history so that's my plan and purpose is to move through the book of Job rather quickly. I mean there's 42 chapters on how long it's going to take but were not gonna look at 23 verses at a time trend move through a chapter at a time and learn what we can profit from the word of God so hope this been helpful tonight.

Let me close word of prayer father, thank you for your word.

Thank you for its honesty. Thank you for its transparency. Thank you that you do not shield us from the realities of hard life. Thank you that you're there with us when we do not sense that when we feel like you've abandon us even when all of our emotions are crying against the warring against our faith. Thank you that you are working in us both to will and to do according to your good pleasure. Thank you that you do desire the development of persevering faith in us Lord grant that work that in us for our good and for your own glory. We pray in Christ name