Pain, Suffering, and God's Relation

Speaker 1 0:31

Well , good morning everyone . It's good to see you . Happy Sunday . Thank you , happy Sunday . It's good to see you . My name is Jeff Blockman , one of the passenger and staff , and I thought it was only fitting and appropriate , as I was driving by , and you may have seen it that we we rent some space on the billboard on the 680 that's a little past Lake Lake , herman Avenue or road Exit and on Saturday , as I was driving by , because we've been putting up the topic each week and so about the top fifth of the billboard had they were having some sort of an error , so it was all blacked out , and so , instead of it saying why does God allow pain and suffering , it just said allow pain and suffering , come to Northgate . So if that's why you're here , you are a different kind of person , my friend , but want some pain and suffering . We got a front row right for you . So , man , we're so glad you're here . Thank you for joining us .

Speaker 1 1:21

We are in the third week of our explore God series , where we're asking seven big questions about About the nature and the character of God , questions that , at different points and times , people have even asked these questions . I would hope , even if you were a follower of Jesus at some point , that you have asked this question and wrestled with it and it's something that you've come to , at least some sense of peace and resolve , if you have been with us the last two weeks and this is kind of a continuation on with that . If you haven't , if it's your first Week , or if you didn't get to hear the first two weeks , I would strongly encourage you to go back and check those out . They're not only phenomenal messages by pasturary , but they also answer some of the questions that we're actually going to be building on for today . So in the first two weeks we asked Do we have a purpose and a meaning based on God's intent , not only for our design but the world that we live in ? And then last week it was also then we were open , saying that when we're open to the possibility , that of God's existence , that we're going to discover that there's many indicators out there , even by what we see , even by what we experience , that God is doing something , not only doing something , but exists and is involved , actively involved in your life . And so then , after that is that we are , like I said , building off of kind of that premise . We're building off that premise , and then we are going to be looking at this idea of pain and suffering in association , in association with the fact that God reveals himself through his word and his spirit with people . I also believe that God reveals himself through , through nature not only his nature , but just nature and his creation , as we saw last week in in Romans 1 20 , and then I'd say the final part that we're kind of snapping into . This is also that God has provided us With a community that we're able to then sit in with other people .

Speaker 1 3:04

When I was in high school , right at the end of my senior year , I was heading towards graduation and all those different things I began to convince myself through some um , through some indications out there , that I was pretty convinced that my parents were going to buy me a car for graduation . Like I just thought that that was it . And once I got that idea in my head that there was nothing that you could do to really talk me out of that and so I would . I'd be walking around the living room , my dad's slipping through a time magazine or something like that , and he turned in . I was like Honda , huh , okay , and then we get in the car and we're driving around , I was like man , we sure do seem to be going by a lot of dealerships , huh Wonder , what's going on .

Speaker 1 3:45

And so we head straight into my , my senior senior year and graduation . And I was . I was like it's not a matter of if , it's just when , it's when are they going to be presenting me with a car ? And it wasn't just going to be a car , there's going to be a car with a red bow , and it was going to be magnificent , magnificent . And so I went to my graduation . You know , because I , if , if they'd asked me , perfect time would have been after I got out with my ceremony . I would have walked out into the parking lot and I'm like where's the red bow , where is it ? Where is I don't see it . And then , fine , okay , fine , you didn't give it to me then . But then later on we went to my graduation party and I was like and Nothing .

Speaker 1 4:20

And so then we had a grad night that night and I was like man , they really are missing the opportunity . I said you know what they're probably going to do ? Cars are big , but keys are small . I , I saw , I started looking for like a small box , like where , where are they just going to be giving the keys to me Of this car that they're going to buy for me . And you know what happened . So , at at grad night , I remember my parents actually gave me a present , and it was a present about , about , about this big . You know , that's a lot of keys in one box , but okay , and maybe I get to pick . So I opened it up and they'd given me a bible that I actually still own To this day . It was a wonderful bible , and they gave me a lump sum of cash that was supposed to be designated towards buying a car .

Speaker 1 4:59

I was disappointed . I was disappointed Because I had worked it up , I had seen all of the clues and I'd put all of it , all of it together , to determine that this is exactly what they're going to do , and I expect that's what I expected , and I missed the fact . Frankly , my parents gave me more than , uh , probably what we're going to give our kids kids , sorry . They were very generous and yet I missed it , because I had built up these expectations of what was supposed to be happening for me that I totally missed what's actually going on For today . I think that it's similar . That's one of the elements of this idea of pain and suffering is that we have these expectations , which are frankly , very fair . It is very fair to assume that if I am a good person and I do good things and I am serving what , by definition of scripture is a good god , then of course I should have good things happen to me and in fact they should be better the more good things that I do .

Speaker 1 5:57

But as I look at scripture and the original premise of how god designed us , that there is goodness that we experience and in fact , ironically in this is that his original design is actually supposed to include a Lack of pain and suffering , but that's not why he was putting it together . That would be the byproduct of the experience that he was creating and the purpose that he was creating for us . In fact , it's this . Look at this Genesis 3 8 says it like this Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day . You get the sense that God was in , in , in physical proximity , in presence With his creation and in fact that's it . That's God's original design . Was this one word with it was with God created us to be with him in community . He created us to be Um that understanding that we was pointing us towards relationship not only with him , but then with each other . He goes . It says in Genesis 2 it's not good for man to be alone , and so he creates a partner for them , and so there was that community that they're supposed to experience With each other , and I believe it's that community which is a crucial element , both to not only mitigate suffering and pain at different Points in time , but also to help us manage it as we get through it .

Speaker 1 7:12

So what we're going to do is we're going to see an account of a person today , gentlemen , by the name of Job . We're going to be looking at , at his account in the book of Job , and the fact that this is a man who who , as we spend time looking at him , is that Job trusted because God was with him In the highs and the lows , is that we see that Job trusted because God was with him . But in fact it's . It's not that God's nearness to Job is what was causing pain and suffering . It's actually the only way that he got in and through and out of it . Job's a man who started his life , by all accounts , as as a good and faithful man he ended , his life ended and he had remained faithful to God .

Speaker 1 7:53

It actually very early on in the account of this , the question is asked is would Job Remain faithful in the midst of having things taken away from him ? Sure , you love God when you have all the good stuff , when the lights are green and the wind is at your back and everything's going well . Will you love God , though , when those things begin to be lost ? Everything that you hold dear and what we will see is in Job's honesty and in his pain and in his transparency is that he remains faithful , and it hurt and he hated it , but he never wavered .

Job's Response to Loss and Pain

Speaker 1 8:27

And I'll go as far as to say this I don't want to give this message , if I can be honest . I don't want to give it a first time . I for sure don't want to give it a second time , because I would never want to . Here's what I know . I know , behind a shadow of a doubt , that , if I looked at every person , is that there are people that are experiencing pain , and probably pain far worse than what I will ever experience in my life , and so I would never want to give you a Christian answer to just kind of wipe that away and say that it's fine . But what I will say is that , as I see this , as I look to His word , as I say that it is that idea of being with that , though it may not , it's not going to dismiss what you're experiencing , but it's acknowledging that God is with you in this and what that should be doing to us and how we should experience that . But I want you to , as we are looking at His word and as you spend time in Job , I want you to look for something , because I think that it's interesting that in this , in God's original design , is that he was included in on the storyline .

Speaker 1 9:31

He was included in on it , and that's where we then see Job respond with these two words , which I think is just such an important part of this . It's these words , and yet and you'll see it all throughout Job it's kind of this turn , it's a turn , it's a resolve . It's Job , at different points in time , saying and yet this is who I am and this is what I'm experiencing , this is what I have lost , and yet that does not change the unwavering faithfulness and goodness of God . And yet Job 1315 says like this . He says though he slay me , and yet I will hope in him . And yet hold on to that .

Speaker 1 10:15

So Job 1 says in the land of us there lived a man whose name was Job . This man was blameless and upright , he feared God and he shunned evil . Job was , by the all accounts and as we'll see in Job 1 , 1 through 5 , he was richly blessed . He desired to be set apart , holy , not to be away from people , but acknowledging that because I'm serving and loving and worshiping a holy God , I too should be holy and set apart for God . He desired to be just like God . In that We'll also learn that what we see in scripture is that Job was loaded and that's just my interpretation . But he had a significant amount of livestock , he had a huge family , he had servants , he had land , he had it all . And that's laid out from Job 1 , 1 through 5 , in those first five verses and then immediately in verse 6 , is that you see this phrase up here and it says and right after that , so starting in verse 6 , is that he is stripped of most everything that he has . And it's not just stripped of everything he has , it's something is taken away . And right after that .

Speaker 1 11:23

You ever had days like that Whereas you're solving one problem , the next one just gets in line . Or if you've ever done any sort of customer service or even in an office where you work with other people , is that you're solving somebody's issues and then all of a sudden somebody else gets behind them in line and you can clearly see that they're actually more upset than the first person . You're like , today's going to be a very long day , we are going to have a long time , and that's essentially what happens here . But even worse , in fact , here's the list is that it starts out and Job lost his oxen and his donkey . He lost his servants , and then they start to line up to tell him the next thing that he started to lose , and right after this it was his sheep and his servants , and his camels and his servants , and right after that it was his seven sons and his three daughters . And the list just keeps going , on and on . And have you ever had a day where you go if anything else comes my way , I might just break and it's nothing , it's not even a fraction of what he was experiencing . Turn the page and go to Job , chapter 2 , and it says that he experienced .

Speaker 1 12:31

Then he became gravely ill . He had sores and itching , degenerative facial skin , loss of appetite , depression , loss of strength , worms in the boils , difficulty in breathing , foul breath , loss of weight , continual pain , peeling skin and fever . You know , when they talk about those new medicines that you're going to take , and they may have the side effects of that , that feels like what that list is . It may , you may , have worms in your boils . As you see that , though , let me ask you this Is it just me , or is there some sense of comfort when you see that somebody else's life is falling apart , and it's not just yours , that you're at a place of going ? My life right now is miserable , but at least I'm not alone , and that , in the darkest places of my heart which I choose sometimes not to admit is that I would rather pull you into my dark and my muck and my mire than allow you to pull me out , because that's way harder , and so I almost take some comfort in this of going . Well , at least it's happening to somebody else but me .

Speaker 1 13:34

Misery sometimes does love company , and yet what I see Job respond with is completely different . What we see Job do is actually he mourns . Wait , you can't mourn . You're a Christian . Of course you can mourn , because it's awful and this is painful . He's lost everything . He has lost absolutely everything in his life and of course he should mourn . Nowhere does it say in scripture that you're not allowed to mourn . And if you have anyone come and tell you anything different , you need to excuse them because that's not it and I know that that doesn't fit on a pillow from Hobby Lobby , but that's not true . That is absolutely not true . You are supposed to mourn , you're supposed to experience pain , because it's horrible when we expect something in life and it doesn't go that way , that is going to be painful . It's how we choose to process that and what we do and where we invite God's role into that . That's what comes out of that and that's what we see Job doing . And he proceeds to do this . Job one 20 and 21, . He says at this point , job got up and he tore his robe and he shaved his head . Then he fell on the ground in worship and he said naked I come from my mother's womb and naked I will depart . The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away , and may the name of the Lord be praised .

Speaker 1 14:50

When my wife and I got married , we had made the decision that we were not gonna have kids for a couple of years and about three years in , we said that we were ready to start experiencing a family . But when we looked at each other and we said yes , we had no understanding of the pain that we were gonna be stepping into in the next two years of wanting to have a family and , for no good reason , not being able to get pregnant . And I remember , month after month , when my wife would walk out of our bedroom and she'd look at me with tears in her eyes and she would say , nope , not again . And , of course , based on our age , it's that everybody around us was getting pregnant . And so we were reminded day after day .

Speaker 1 15:25

And I remember standing in the church that I worked in at that point , in the crowd , and we were standing there and I was holding her as tight as I could because I didn't have an answer and I couldn't fix this for her . And we sat there and we sang this song that it said . It said the Lord gives and the Lord takes away . And if I'm gonna be honest , that , through these tears and gritted teeth , is that I didn't believe it not always and then I had to sit there and plant my feet and , just with deep resolve , sit here and say I don't have what I want and I don't understand . And yet that does not change who God is . The Lord gives and he takes away . Blessed be the name of the Lord .

Speaker 1 16:06

And the problem is this is that there's nothing in scripture that says that I deserve a child . I don't . That's not one of the things that's promised . I looked a few different times . I'm not promised that and I can want one . I can want that to be a part of my expression of love with my wife and something that we want to contribute back to the world . But that doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to get it , because I know , as a dad who is sometimes loving and kind and caring for my children is that I don't give them everything they want . They ask for red bulls at 11 o'clock at night . Of course I'm not going to give them that . I'm not going to give them that , but they want it .

Speaker 1 16:44

God has a perspective in my life that I can't see and often times I can't understand , and so I've got to believe that as I look in scripture and I see that Paul says to live as Christ and to die as gain . That's got to believe that there's something better than me getting stuff and me being comfortable , and though I don't wish ill on anyone else is that there is something on this side of life , on the other side , where heaven is , that we will experience a greatness and a wonder , that if the best thing that we get is Jesus , then I can't always be frustrated . Then I needed two new tires on my car this week , but I don't always get that . And that's the resolve that I see of somebody who is abiding in Jesus and trusting in him of saying there's got to be something there that's more , without diminishing what we're experiencing right now . There's got to be more than this and , as you would expect , job's friends and his family , they have something to say about it . But isn't that just like friends ? You know that they would say that . In fact , job's wife and Job one nine and 10 says his wife says to him are you still maintaining your integrity ? Curse God and die . You're blind . Are you talking like a foolish woman ? Shall we accept good from God and not trouble .

Speaker 1 17:59

There is a human desire that we want to make sense of all the pain and all the situations , and that there are times like and let's just be clear here , and I just want to set this one aside If you're in an experience , in an environment right now , that pain is coming to you and you can do something about that , get out of that , don't stay in that , fix that . That's not punishment that God is enacting on you , and so if there's a way that you can fix the pain that you're experiencing , you're not paying a penance for something . So that's one part of it . And yet what I also see in scripture is that rain falls on the righteous and the wicked , and so there are going to be seasons that , no matter the condition of your heart and relationship with God is that you will live in a season that is going to be difficult . In those seasons they feel like a lifetime , and Job two , 12 through 13 , goes on with his friends and their relationship and he says when they saw him from a distance , they could hardly recognize him . They began to weep aloud and they tore their robes and they sprinkled dust on their heads , and then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights . No one said a word , because they saw how great his suffering was .

Presence and God's Purpose

Speaker 1 19:09

Even in his pain , people are with that . God's designed to see . If you've ever had somebody experience significant pain , you go . I've got to be with them . I need to get to them . Not that you can even think that you're going to fix it , but it's just I've got to get over there and I've got to be with them . I think that's how God's wired us . He's wired us as people to say I need to be there , that my presence matters . And in being there , they wept aloud with him , showing emotional shock and sorrow , saying , not only saying I'm with you in this , but to say that I'm physically meeting you is that you're not , I'm not fixing it and coming to you , I'm coming to you and experiencing , I'm joining you in those emotional responses . So they wept aloud , they tore their robes , showing signs of broken hearted , saying this breaks my heart too , just like it breaks your heart , and then dust on their heads that they too were in deep grief . But after the silence , when they see this group , they do at some point try and fix it , because that's what friends try and do .

Speaker 1 20:13

And I think sometimes what I feel like that we're trying to do is not necessarily fix it , but just give a why . I'm just saying I don't , I , because I know this . For me is that there are times in my life that if I can just know why I'm experiencing what I'm experiencing , at least I can have an answer why , or maybe how long . Because I can do , I can , I can last for for 10 hours , I can put up with it for 10 days , maybe even 10 years , as long as I know that I'm going to get out of this at some point . And yet we , really we can't give that .

Speaker 1 20:47

Early on in my marriage , I realized something about myself was that I'm a fixer and so anytime my wife would come to me with a problem is that I would fix it . I'd fix it really . I'd fix it good too , like I'd fix it good and fix it quick . I was like oh , I know , oh , you're having a problem with your friend here at work and pop , pop , pop , pop pop . There you go . Okay , we're eating for dinner .

Speaker 1 21:06

I learned very quickly , after many times of apologizing , is that there are times that she wants me to fix it , and then there's other times that she just wants me to listen , because there's no fixing , it's just I need to know that you're with this in me and here's here's been the interesting part in the depth of our relationship is that there's times I'm not even listening . It's just with it's to say I can't fix it , I can't make it better , but I'm going to sit with you in this , which , let's be honest with , takes a long time . I mean , we saw it in Job , right , it's seven days and seven nights . I don't have time for that . What if I just wrote a Bible verse on a bookmark and I gave that to you ? Would that be the same ? It's not .

Speaker 1 21:50

With is expensive , my friends , but it's what we've been called to be , is with , because and I think that that's what then gives a depth and a richness there's a reason why , in scripture , james says let perseverance finish its work so that we may be mature and complete , lacking in nothing , so that , though God doesn't delight in it , that there's a refinement process that's going on , and sometimes that can't shave off the rough edges as quickly as you'd want it to , but that God's doing something in that . And so then , sometimes and this is if you're the one experiencing that know that God is not wasting those tears and that he's doing something in that with you and for us as a community , we have a chance to sit with them . In that , I think we see that same pattern all throughout scripture God allowing ordinary people to experience extraordinary circumstances that is not anything that they could get through in and of themselves . David was asked to slay a giant . Moses was asked to free the people in slavery . Gideon was asked to defeat a massive army , and in each one of those , what I actually see is that the closer we get to God , the more that we are going to be stretched in the things that we are asked to do . Now , god does not enact those , but if we are living out holiness and righteousness , that is going to be in direct violation from the world that we live in , which is broken , and so then , the closer we get to God , actually congratulations . There may be more suffering .

Speaker 1 23:22

How many of you have heard this phrase and it's either frustrated or you're giving you comfort . This one God won't give you any more than you can handle . Anybody , anybody heard that . I hate that phrase . I think it's an absolute lie . I think it is an absolute lie and I've said it myself and I've given it to people as a way to try and provide comfort . And actually I look at that and I go that's absolutely not true . God is not giving you more than you can handle . He's giving you absolutely as much as you can handle to point out the place and the posture that we need to be in a dependency to Him . That's what he's doing .

Speaker 1 23:56

I don't see that in Scripture . What I see in Scripture is Proverbs 3 , 5 , and 6 . Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding In all of your ways . Acknowledge Him and he will lead your path straight . That's how God wants us to take a position and a posture . And so at the point that we say that well , of course I'm not going to get more than I can handle , because then God will not do anything , and then you become your own God . And again he doesn't delight in the struggles , but he is doing something in that . And yet in all of that it doesn't change God's purpose and His relationship with this earth .

Speaker 1 24:33

And you , have you guys heard of girl mass and boy mass ? Have you heard about girl mass and boy mass ? Okay , it's a thing . We also have God mass . God mass is A plus B does not always equal C , it's for sure not linear and it sure doesn't add up sometimes , and yet when you get to that C , it really reflects and points back to the nature and the character of God's goodness , not your level of success and comfort . And so we see God at some point , and again , throughout all of Job is that there's been this push and pull and this not even a debate , but Job just going . I don't love this , but and yet I'm in pain and yet .

Speaker 1 25:22

And then all of a sudden we see this turn at about Job 38 , where all of a sudden God changes his posture in his position of going and he's now done debating and he's now going to say look , I'm going to give you the full weight and measure of who I am . And some of this you're not going to understand , but it's still true . My kids know that when my voice changes from dialogue to instructions , it's like oh no , that's a great idea . You know you don't need to clean up your room . What a great idea that is . And at some point it changes to be like this is what is happening , right , and you know it comes from the chest rather than just like certain sort of a dialogue and debate , and we see God change in that way of going like look , I understand that you aren't going to understand the fullness of who I , as the creator of the universe verse are , and yet I am going to tell you exactly who I am . And so he does in Job 38 , 4 through 7 . And if you don't think that God is funny and sarcastic sometimes , you're wrong . Look at this .

God in a Broken World

Speaker 1 26:20

Job 38 , 4 through 7 , he says where were you when I laid the earth foundation ? Tell me , if you understand , I just forget where you were when I was creating the world , who marked it off in its dimension ? Surely you must know I mean , if you're kind of like me , then surely you must know who stretched a measuring line across it , on what were its footing set , or who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy . Where were you in the midst of that ? Because , gosh , I just can't remember . I was so busy creating the universe . And then he goes on and in chapter 40 , verse 70 , he goes . He goes , brace yourself like a man . I will question you and you shall answer me . Okay , in another translation it says to gird your loins . I don't even know what that means . My translation . Put on your big boy pants , right ? That's why I'm wearing these are my big boy pants . I'm wearing them today . Put on your big boy pants .

Speaker 1 27:19

And he's reminded of a few things in this . The first one is this Our expectations reveal much about what we think we deserve . If you're disappointed , then there may be a sense of that . You came into this relationship expecting something about God that he never promised . Because , just to be clear , god is not my best copilot . He's not . God is the creator of the universe , all knowing , all present and all good and full of truth and justice and mercy . He's all of those and he doesn't need my opinion on if we should take a left or a right . He's not my copilot . He drives the bus and I am fortunate enough to have a seat on that bus . That's his position , that's who he is , and then we are invited into that and these experiences are doing something in Job that are changing and refining his head and his heart and his expectations for the relationship that he then has with God . And yes , there will come a day , there will come a season which all that is wrong will be made right .

Speaker 1 28:21

I recognize , and with no heart for flippantness , I recognize that we live in a broken world . In fact , jesus talks about it . He tells a parable and in this parable he describes both wheat and weeds . And these parables are earthly stories that give an indication of what God is up to and what he is doing . And he describes it like . This is Matthew 13 , 24 . Jesus told them another parable the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field , but while everyone was sleeping his enemy came and so weeds among the wheat and went away . To be clear , there is an enemy among us , and it is a spiritual battle of people enacting their own free will and making a choice that is other than that which is honoring to God . There is also a battle going on between God and the evil one , satan , which we see in Scripture . It indicates we know the end , but we are not there yet . So there is an evil presence that is inflicting its will on this world , but that is not God's .

Speaker 1 29:26

And it goes on to then say when the wheat sprouted and formed heads , then the weed weeds also appeared , the sense that God is continuing to grow us and do something in the midst of this season , where not all that is wrong will be made right . The owner of servants came and said to him sir , didn't you sow good seeds in your field ? Where , then , did the weeds come from ? An enemy did this , he replied . The servants asked him do you want us to go and pull them up ? And he said no . He answered because while you were pulling the weeds , you may uproot the wheat with them , stopping growth , stopping process , stopping sanctification that God is doing in us . Let them both grow together until the harvest . At that time I will tell the harvesters first collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned , then gather the wheat and bring them into my barn .

Speaker 1 30:19

Here's another God equation . For you , god , mass , it's a broken world plus broken people times two , and there probably need to be some parentheses somewhere in there . I'll let the math people figure that out . But what that equals is a life of missed expectations . We have a world that at some point will cease to exist . We also have broken people , and broken people that adds up together to be that things aren't going to go the way that we expect . Do you know how many of the world's sufferings could be fixed if humans chose to enact and live like God ?

Speaker 1 30:59

I was all the more reminded of that when I woke up yesterday morning and went to go work on my message , and I was welcomed to the tragic information about what's happening over in Israel . And just to be clear , just because somebody is doing something in the name of God does not mean that that is God's nature and character . I also know that we have on this earth , on this planet , we have the resources to solve things like world hunger and houselessness and different sufferings that people are experiencing , but it is the choice of humanity on what we're going to need . I have an entire garage full of food just to be safe , and there are people that are going to bed hungry . That ought not be . That ought not be . And so , then , for much of this , we see that Jesus , too , demands what is both fair and right . However , he sees the whole picture and he says that Matthew 1330 will come , but it's not today . It's not today Because , for now , what I can say in a point of comfort and a point of hoping that you can begin to explore how Jesus is wanting to be with you in this , is all Scripture points back to this idea of Emmanuel .

Speaker 1 32:10

It's my , again , my definition of Emmanuel is witness . It's Emmanuel is God is with us , for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life . That's Emmanuel , and that is Jesus saying I will climb from my heavenly seat down through the muck in the mire and then I will be with you . I will move heaven and earth and I will do whatever I can to say that I will be with you in this time and in this season . My friends , god hears you , I promise . And I know that there are times that it doesn't feel like it . I know that there are times where you feel like that . Your prayers , as you cry out , as you feel like you are , you are alone in all of this . But there will come a time when the wheat and the weeds will be separated and all that is wrong will be made right .

Speaker 1 32:59

As I was reading up on this , I learned about two things that God collects . I thought this was very timely for this . God collects two things . One he collects our tears , every tear that we shed , and the pain that we experience . He collects . Psalm 56 says that he collects our tears in a bottle and he holds them close . And then the other thing that he collects is our prayers , and we see in Revelation that he stores our prayers up in a bowl , even those that we feel like were nose , but that they were not yet so what it wasn't yet to be . And it says that at the right time , the full weight and measure of God's love and his mercy will be poured out on all of his people , and that all that was wrong will finally be made right , that there will be both love and truth and justice and mercy , and that there will come that judgment that we hear about and that we experience . And , to be clear , judgment is only scary when we think about ourself and our loved ones . If I was to steal your car today , you would want judgment for that . If you were to be wronged , you would want judgment to be made right on that . And so for those who are crying out for vindication , for healing in their bodies , to be freed from mental health , to experience a world that is other than what they are living in here , is that that justice and that judgment ? Is like cold water on a scorching hot day . Jesus wants that too . It's just it's not yet , but it is .

Speaker 1 34:32

And as you talk to anyone who's experienced significant loss , you know that , even as God meets you in that , in his witness , that there's still loss . I had some dear friends who , 15 years ago , they lost a son to SIDS and he died within the first year of his life . And if you could talk to them today , they faithfully love God , they serve God and they have moved on and that , in fact , they've had other kids since then . There's still a gaping hole in their heart for that son that they lost . It never goes away , it gets better , but there's still . You're changed , and so then there's a depth that we don't ask for and yet we experience in that loss and it may not be death , for you is , it could be a loss of a job , or a loss of a loved one , or conflict , or physical health , or I don't know what yours is , but I need you to know , my friends , it will get better , I promise you . And so then , back at Job , as we see that what Job gets at the end of his life is double what he was given , and yet he still is missing . So again , you go . He has more and yet less , but it comes from running to God , not away from him .

Speaker 1 36:02

I see that same comfort come in the Psalms . Psalm 23 , one through four says the Lord is my shepherd . I lack nothing Interesting . This is written from a man who is fleeing for his life and he says I lack nothing . He makes me lie down in green pastures , he leads me beside quiet waters , he refreshes my soul , he guides me along the right path for his namesake . Even though I walk through the darkest valley , I will fear no evil , for you are what With me , and if the best you can do , through clenched teeth and tears in your eyes , is to pray with , I invite you to start there , with got you or with me , and on this side of heaven . You may never feel full restoration of what you would so desperately want and , frankly , what I think in my human version , what you deserve with .

Speaker 1 36:59

But all this , all this life , every part of it , the beauty and the tragedy , the pain , the tears , the laughter , all of it , all of it points back to a relationship of God creating us to be in communion with him . That then allows us to process through that with him . That's not always easy and in fact Job declares that near the end of his account in his life . It says in Job 42 , one through three . Then Job replies to the Lord I know that you can do all things . No purpose of yours can be thwarted .

Speaker 1 37:33

You asked who is that ? Who is this that obscures my plans with hot knowledge ? Surely I spoke of things I did not understand . Things too wonderful for me to know ? Look at that last phrase again Too wonderful for me to know . I cannot ever comprehend the depth , I can never comprehend the why of what God is doing in my life , and I can also not understand the depth of his love and his provision and his blessings . It is too wonderful for me to know .

Speaker 1 38:10

What we are promised as we trust in God and process through this idea of pain and suffering , is that we get comfort and hope . It does get better for anyone who has recovered from loss or pain or illness or whatever you're in . There is a day that it gets better , and you're not alone in this , I think , other than Jesus . The thing that I love most about the church , when we're doing it right , is that we say you will not go through this alone and I will be with this in you , and then we have a God who cares enough to be with us in this as well . And then a final thought , and it actually feels maybe a little depressing in this , but that there's just a perspective in Job 42 , 17 that says and so Job died , an old man and full of years . My friend says , isn't it ? This isn't it . And so then for us to miss what God is doing on the other side of heaven . Then we miss what God is doing right now to shape and refine us in preparation for that . And so we're in this .

Understanding Job's Pain and God's Promise

Speaker 1 39:26

It's hard to understand , and yet what we see Job's safe all throughout Scripture , and where we land here at the end , is the end . Yet it's end . Yet I experienced pain , I experienced loss in a way that I would never wish on anyone else and that we as the body of Christ might necessarily give full context for . And yet God is doing something in that it's too wonderful for us to imagine . May we be actively present in this life that it has to offer , in knowing that there is more to come . That's the heart of who God is and that's why I invite you into experiencing .

Speaker 1 40:12

So , father , there's not a lot of words that can give full context or understanding for what you may be doing for us as individuals and collectively , and any sort of dismissal or any sort of bow would really become flippant and uncaring . God , but what I see throughout Scripture is that you have moved heaven and earth to be back with us , to sit with us . In all of that . Thank you for giving us your word , thank you for your spirit that dwells to be with us . In that God , may we , in the pain and the suffering not only that we experience that we see is that we still see that glimmer of light that shines through . That is you . That is hope . That's too wonderful for us to know . Can we see that today ? Amen ?