Introduction
Mark Twain: “Courage is resistance to fear; the mastery of fear; not the absence of fear.”
Eddie Rickenbacker: “Courage is fear that has said its prayers. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”
John Wayne: “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”
They are right, of course. Courage is defined only in the context of fear. Without fear there’s no need for courage.
The same can be said for the relationship between “trust” and “trouble.” Trusting in God is seen only in the context of trouble.” When life makes sense and everything is on track, trust is not required. Trust becomes necessary and conspicuous only in the context of trouble. Thus, trouble becomes the opportunity to demonstrate trust – the venue in which the depth of our trust in God is measured and tested – and deepened. We know that God is necessary – in Him we live and move and have our being. But is He enough?
Three Questions
Can you trust God when you are suffering?
Job lost:
- His finances
- His family
- His fitness
- His face (reputation)
In the midst of this Job praises God and worships Him. Faith is not necessarily the way to get out of suffering; may be the way to endure suffering. Heb. 11 – writer is running out of time; tries to summarize his message:
Faith to escape: 1st half – all honey and no bees; all roses and no thorns; sign me up.
Faith to endure: “And others …” 2nd half – “yet they were commended for their faith.”
Can you trust God when you are forsaken?
What about when we suffer and there’s nobody who understands or stands with us? Job said, “My familiar friends have forgotten me” (Rom 8:24-25.) Paul said, “No man stood with me” (2 Tim. 4:16). It seemed to Job that even God had forsaken Him (Job 23).
Job was not only suffering but also suffering alone. When everyone else turns away; when the people you thought you could count on desert you; can God be trusted? Will He ever forsake you? Is there anything that can separate you from the love of Christ? Is there anything that can pluck you out of His hand?
Can you trust God in the dark?
We understand why this is happening to Job. Job never understood it; there was never an explanation. We’ve read the book of Job; Job never read the book of Job.
But righteous people who understand faith are never in the dark – is that what you think?
Is. 50:10: “Who is among you that fears (reveres) the LORD, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely (lean) on his God.”
Paul: “We are perplexed; but not in despair” (2 Cor. 4:8). When your theology and life collide and all that you believe will be challenged, can God still be trusted?
Lessons from Job
God teaches Job three things:
- The sovereignty of God (Job 38-39; 40:7-41:34)
- The sufficiency of God (Job 42:2-6)
- The sympathy of God (Job 42:10-17)
Conclusion
He who judges God in the short span of time will most certainly judge Him wrongly.
