So How Do You Face Trouble

Then Job arose and rent his mantel, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshipped. And said " Naked came I out of my mothers womb, and naked shall I return there: the Lord gave , and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." ( Job 1:20-21)     Is there any good news for those who suffer? Intimes when trouble strikes, we need to take an inventory to see if there is any good news that can cheer us up, and help us to carry the burden of pain.     Trouble and suffering are facts of life that all of us must cope with sooner or later. An incurable disease may afflict someone we love or even us personally. A financial disaster may wipe out our fortunes. A domestic tragedy may taer apart our home. There are fatal accidents on life's highways. There are dead end streets where all hopeful expectations are brought to a stop. How should christians handle suffering and trouble? When trouble comes some people turn to religion, hoping it will deepen and stregthen their faith. Others turn away from religion in disappointment and despair. Still others turn against religion in hate and cynicism.     How do people cope with pain and trouble? Some bluster and bluff and cuss. Some develop a headache and take an aspirin. Some drink or take grugs that enable them to escape the pain of reality temporarily. Some pray and trust God.     What will you do when trouble comes? Will you turn to God? Will you turn from God? Will you turn against God? Lets take a look at Job, the ultimate example of a man who struggled with suffering in the times before Christ.     1. Jobs character (Jobs character Job 1:1,8)  Job is a dramatic illustration of one who experienced undeserved suffering. He is a dramitic example of how the innocent can suffer. Job was a blameless man, Job was upright, this means straight and real and right in his dealings with others. Job feared God, he was a fervent worshipper of God. Job was a man who stayed away from evil, Job didn't comprimise his principles.     2. Jobs position;  Job lived in a time when people commonly believed that anyone who was good and did good would be happy and prosperous. Job was a good man, and he was also happy and prosperous. He was the best of the best, there was nobody quite like him. He enjoyed great wealth, he had a wonderful family, he was a priest in his own home, and he was the epitome of success and happiness.     3. Jobs calamity and suffering;    Suddenly Job's life was turned upside down, and he suffered some catostrophic events that were both undeserved and unexplained. Job suffered the loss of his property (1:14-17) Job suffered the tragic death of his children (1:18-19) Job experienced the loss of his health (2:7-8) Job experienced bad counsel and advise from his wife (2:9) Job endured the frustration of sicere friends who blundered in their efforts to comfort and counsel him, even with all that, Job still had some fortune in his life; his friends did come to him, this required great effort on their part. They sat in silence with him for seven days. Sometimes silence is the best way to support someone who is suffering. They gave the best advise they knew to give. In a nutshell they told him to admit his sinfulness and hypocrisy, to confess his sercret sins. Jobs friends were philosophers and thinkers, and they offered him the best solutions they could think of for the complex trouble he was in.     Job and his friends believed that suffering was the result of sin and that people who suffered must have sinned. In the middle of his pain, Job held on to his conviction concerning his personal integrity. He was convinced that he did not deserve the suffering that was totally out of proportion to any sin that he may have been guilt of.     We learn from the book of Job as we study it in its entirety that suffering is not always the result of sin. We alos learn from the book of Job that God is often blamed for tragedies, catastrophies, and hurts, for which He is not responsible.     Jobs friends came to him with the suggestion that his suffering was the unavoidable consequence of some great flaw in his character and in his beliefs, and conduct. Job was patient in the sense, that he held on to his sense of integrity and denied that his suffering was due to some great sin in his life.    When suffering comes to us, we must hold on to the conviction that God is love, and that God is good. We must believe that God always acts in conformity with His good character.     So how will we handle trouble? Will it bring us closer to Christ? Will it turn us away from Christ? Will it turn us against Christ?     Several suggestions may be helpful to us as we consider the possiblity of suffering in the future. First, Lets consider the example of Jesus as He dealt with the pain and suffering of others. And remember He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.     Before suffering comes we need to develop some resources to help us in times of trouble. Just like the way we take out liability or accecident insurance.  1. We must develop the daily habit of a quiet time in which we let God speak to us from his word.  2. We must let prayer be a conversation with God in which we not only speak to Him, but also let Him speak to us.   3. We need to regularly participate in publiuc worship and let God use this time to draw us closer to him.    4. We need to develop genuine christian fellowship with other members of Gods family, this allows God to use us to be a blessing to each other.   5. We must expect the angels of God to come in our time of need. And in the meantime, we must not be anxious about trouble that may come in the future. Lets be determined to live our lives for the highest and best purposes, under the leadership of the risen Christ and the power oh his Holy Spirit.