There was a Jewish carpenter who once made the statement, “In the world you’ll have trouble.” Maybe you’ve heard of him, his name Is Jesus Christ. (Note: I typed those first two sentences, and then my laptop got stuck in some type of loop and wouldn’t load the webpage I had selected. Do you think he was talking about computer trouble?) Even though Jesus told us trouble would come, it’s not something which is expected by many people. As I’ve shared in previous blogs I am part of a small group which is studying the Book of Job right now. I don’t know about everyone else in the group, but I know I am learning a lot each week.
The trouble in the world takes many different forms. There are the kinds of things Job experienced as he moved: from prosperity to poverty; from a father of ten children to childless; and from physically healthy to desperately ill. We don’t know much about his relationship with his wife, but enough to assume things were going along well for them and in a short period of time she’s encouraging him to curse God. I'm pretty sure that introduced a whole new dynamic to their relationship. Oh, yeah, and in his rapid fall from the most blessed man in his part of the world, he was reduced to three or four friends, who weren’t exactly the most encouraging guys.
The trouble Job experienced in a period of what was likely less than two years, are the types of trouble which shows up in many of our lives. Financial trouble is a major issue for many people right now because of our economy. Family trouble is impacting many homes. Not necessarily the loss of life, but a level of conflict which is negatively impacting how members of the family relate to one another. Health-related trouble is something many people deal with today, from short-term illnesses to chronic and terminal conditions. Marriages may be more troubled than ever.
Here’s what I am thinking today. There are many times you can’t stop trouble. Jesus told us it was coming, and, you know what, he always told the truth. There was nothing Job did to deserve the trouble which came into his life. It wasn’t a consequence of sin, though his friends definitely tried to make that connection. It wasn’t because he messed up somehow. Catch this point: There was nothing Job could have done to stop the trouble from coming into his life! That may not be the good news you were hoping for today. But stick with me here because there is an important point in all of this. There are times when the trouble in our life is a consequence or connected to our choices and we have to accept full responsibility for those things, and know God’s grace and mercy is available to help us navigate through and out of such situations. Then beyond the situations where we reap what we sow, is all the other trouble which comes into our lives; the trouble we can’t stop. In all of these situations, the most important thing is how we respond when trouble comes.
I think I will continue this theme in the next few blogs, but let me close today with this thought. If the trouble which has come into your life is of the type you didn’t cause and you couldn’t stop, stop blaming yourself and stop allowing others to blame you. Job’s friends tried to convince him that he was the cause for all of the trouble in his life. Even though Job didn’t understand why everything was happening, and even went through a period where he felt like God was against him, he never really blamed himself nor accepted the blame of his friends. As someone said, “Sometimes things just are what they are.” I think that fits here, sometimes trouble just comes. Jesus said to expect it, we aren’t always going to cause it, and we can’t stop it. But we do have to deal with it, and we’ll talk more about that next time. Grace and Peace!
John 16:33 (God’s Word Translation) “I've told you this so that my peace will be with you. In the world you'll have trouble. But cheer up! I have overcome the world."
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