Encouragement for the Christian Experience

Job chapter 5 and verse 7. Yet man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward. Chapter 1 please, verse 1. There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was perfect, upright, one that feared God and eschewed evil.

Verse 5. And it was so in the days of the feasting were gone about that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Verse 13. And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house. And they came a messenger unto Job and said the oxen were plowing and the asses were feeding beside them.

And the Sabians fell upon them and took them away and yea they have slain every servant with the edge of the sword and I only am escaped. Verse 17. And while he was yet speaking there came also another and said the Chaldeans made out three bands and fell upon the camels and have carried them away and slain the servants with the edge of the sword.

Verse 19. And behold there came a great wind from the wilderness and smote the four corners of the house and it fell upon the young men and they are dead and I only am escaped alive. And Job worshipped in verse 20 and verse 20 said naked came I out of my mother's womb naked shall I return hither the Lord gave and the Lord had taken away blessed be the name of the Lord.

External circumstances did not affect his internal walk with God. And what happens in our lives when trouble comes? Man is born into trouble as the sparks fly upward and we don't like to think about it and we don't like to ponder it. I come into James chapter 1 and it says count it all joy when you come into divers trials or temptations.

I found that verse a very hard verse to get a grasp of and I have to confess it took me a number of years to get a grasp of it and when I got to Psalm 31 in the last part verse 15 our times are in his hands. And when trouble comes it's going to come when difficulty is going to come when disappointments going to come there is one thing for sure he changes not. And it's no surprise to God and it's something that God has allowed for his honor for his glory we may not know the why until later on but I find as we quoted yesterday my grace is sufficient for thee.

In Job chapter 5 and verse 7 some would say this is the wandering bandit. We don't know when it's come we don't know when it's going to strike. In the little time in Phoenix I had three wandering bandits kind of want what I had but it didn't work that way.

But in the journey of life we have a wandering bandit that wants to come and cause a technical difficulty a problem in our lives whether it be sickness whether it be sorrow. Can I confess that life has not always been easy and life has not always been sunny. Can I confess I've come home from meetings and I could hardly read and I could hardly pray and yet God sustained us.

When I come over to Naaman 1 and 7 God is a stronghold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him. You can develop five times I'll only look at one of them quote one of them and it's in Deuteronomy 32 you're the apple of his eye the little man of his eye. And as you weave in the Word of God you will find that our strength and our encouragement as David encouraged himself in the Lord it's going to come from himself.

You remember Jacob in Genesis 42 down discouraged all these things are against me and yet God was graciously working for the preservation of the nation and when the trial comes the difficulty comes the sickness comes the vicissitudes of life develop at how you want to put it he is in the boat and he's in us and he's with us and he's for us and he does all things well. Could I put it this way very reverently he has a great investment in you and I. His well-beloved son laid down his life gave us all for us and he's not brought us into this wilderness journey just to wander about and to grope about. His possessions were touched his persons were touched externally he was touched but his internal walk with God was constant and consistent.

Job feared God chapter 2 and he maintained his integrity he was living in alignment with the Word of God the precepts the principles and the enjoyment of the communion with God. Balance is crucial whether it be the propeller on an airplane or whether it be the tire on the road that we're driving in God is able in trial to give you and I a proper balance from himself how do I get that I get the strength from the Word of God I get comfort from the Holy Scriptures to guide me and direct me. Job was smitten with boils from the top of his head to the bottom of his foot.

His wife spoke as an infidel. He says in chapter 16 you're all miserable comforters. In chapter 19 he says the hand of God has touched me and in verse 25 sterling says I know that my Redeemer liveth.

God will never leave us. He'll never forsake us. Does he do all things well? Absolutely he does all things well.

Nothing happens by chance. God allows it. We may not know the why now as I mentioned but he allows it for his honor for his glory maybe for me to learn him more however ways you want to develop it.

When the trial comes he gives more and more grace. He can give an infusion if I can call it that way with the term I used yesterday of words from the Word of God when that trial comes to strengthen us in that hour that I need not think by the way. Great tribulation can bring out the display of God's great ways of God's great power and God's great care and God's great supply when the hour and the time of tribulation comes.

Is he not the father of all mercies? Of course he is. Does he not do all things well? Absolutely. Is not his grace sufficient for every single vicissitude in life? Absolutely it is.

The problem is my faith may falter but he falters not and he is a rock that will never be moved. He's a stronghold in the day of trouble. If you were to go down the West Coast when storms are coming the ships are tied with three ropes.

I've asked him at the Coast Guard in other places why do you do it with three? One may break the second may break but a 340 cord is very strong. We are anchored to a rock that's not going to move. We are one that we can rest our all in the precious promises not only for so great salvation but for every aspect in the journey of life.

My peace I give unto you not as this world give us. There are two different pieces found in the Word of God. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ so great salvation.

The peace of God is the daily enjoyment of him and the peace of God is when the storm comes and the water is up to the top of the gunnel and I scarcely can pray and I can't sleep or whatever it is shame on me. He's right there all along and he can say peace be still. Psalm 40 I find comfort ye comfort me.

My brethren could come along and give me encouragement and I thank them for that but my true comfort comes from God himself and God in that time of difficulty and trial can just give us a little word to gird our loins and to strengthen us and to enable us to go on that we fall not out. By the way turn to Psalm 37 please and these are precious promises and we can apply them to ourselves. Verse 3 of Psalm 37 trust in the Lord now and then.

Doesn't say that at all and they do have my glasses on so I can read pretty good. Trust in the Lord and do good. Verse 4 delight thyself also in the Lord.

Commit thy way unto the Lord trust in him. Verse 7 rest in the Lord. It is thrilling that God in his gracious Word can give us promises that were delivered to some of his own years ago and we can rest in these precious promises today in this day of grace.

Psalm 34 verse 1 I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth. He's my rock he's my fortress. Verse 4 I sought the Lord he heard me and in his time he delivered me from all my fears.

Verse 7 the angel of the Lord encampeth about them that fear him and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord he is good. I'm moving quickly I want to be reverent about it for sake of time but cares for you.

He died for you. He's going to watch over you protect you prepare provide for you in every aspect of life. Isaiah please 41 verse 10 seven assurances from God himself.

Fear thou not if you've never feared or fretted I'd like to meet you after the meeting but the Bible says his face answers face so the heart of man to man I'm sure it's happened. Fear not not why I'm with thee. The Christian experience is not in the nervous system of the believer it's by taking God at his word and the promise in his word he says do not be dismayed I am thy God I will strengthen thee our strength is in the living and the true God whether it be difficulties on the job whether it be the crew whether it be mockery whatever it would be God says I'm right alongside thrilling I'll help thee I'll uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness verse 13 for the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand unto thee fear not I will help thee chapter 42 verse 6 the Lord I the Lord have called thee in righteousness I will hold thy hand I will keep thee I will give thee I think I'm reading it correctly he's holding my right hand with his right hand you probably never crossed a mountain stream or maybe you have but if you're counting a mountain stream with all the rocks and all the deep water rushing around if there are two of you we hold each other's hand face to face and one at a time takes a step and there are three points on the on that rocky river and it's amazing how you can get across safely try it on your own you probably won't make it with a long pole with three points you still have a problem of stability but when there are two together and one face to face and we move along we have tremendous stability crossing a rocky stream he says I am holding your hand I am looking at you I am right with you and I'll never leave you and I'll never forsake you Psalm 91 Psalm 91 is called the soldier's psalm from World War two on many of the soldiers were given the Psalms in the New Testament and interesting and thrillingly many of them read them it's a young man in the Gulf War and I had them relay this psalm to the comrades with him first to I will say of the Lord he is my refuge personal pronoun my fortress my God in him will I trust this psalm of the soldier's psalm called in the States is that which we can rest in and take the precious promises verse 14 because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him Spurgeon saw part of the psalm during the plagues over in Europe and you would have heard the account of the shoemaker that wrote part of the psalm on a little piece of paper and when Spurgeon came along wondering they should continue helping the people or not written on the little piece of paper was verse 10 there shall no evil befall thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling and I will give my angels charge over thee and it gave an infusion of grace to go on during that plague I was never much for history I enjoy it more now all of my uncles were in World War two they all came home Normandy paratrooper Normandy the U2 boats I read an account the other day that I thought was quite stirring there were 300,000 in World War two British troops trapped on a beachhead and Dunkirk France the German army was 12 miles away and the British and the French troops were backed up on the English Channel and May 26 1940 the King of England asked the entire nation to pray for the trapped soldiers Winston Churchill said at that time there is a 1% chance that these men some might live Hitler's tanks were advancing tracks and planes Hitler generals became afraid the tanks are going to be caught in the swampy ground and they halted the use of them Hitler decides to send in the luau German term for planes to shoot the soldiers from the air Winston Churchill asked the nation to pray that those men might be preserved dense fog came in and grounded the planes and the English Channel became as calm they say as a little pond and every boat in England was sent to rescue the soldiers 800 fishing boats pleasure craft merchant marine known as little ships and from May 26 to June 4th most were rescued many of those there on that beachhead were memorizing Psalm 91 and there were 400 left on the beach they say they were standing there screaming Psalm 91 and quoting Psalm 91 and then when the planes came and the bullets strafed they missed all 400 men on that beach we've got a greater story than that in the Bible we've got the children of Israel 600,000 plus men and women and the enemy coming behind in the water in the front and all those ramifications God has not brought you and I to die in this wilderness scene he cares for us the son died for us he's coming back again for us I'll stop now we have a great God who does all things well and in the hour of trial in the day of trial he's in that boat and he'll never leave us in an ever forsake us that we need not be like a Jacob all these things are against us but if God before us who can be against us might we be a band of brothers and sisters realizing he's in the boat and he cares for us he died for us and he's coming back again in and not leave us on the beachhead for his namesake