Job 5:6 Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; 7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. 8 I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: 17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: 18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. 19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. 24 And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin. 25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. 26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. 27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.
Counting our troubles doesn’t sound like a good idea but we do it all the time. It’s easy to focus on troubles–hard, rough things. Job’s life was full of trouble. Anytime you think you’ve got too much on you, remember someone else has more. Job did and it all fell on him quickly. Sometimes troubles add up over time but not on Job. We should pray every day so we don’t break under the load. If you put pressure on any rock long enough and hard enough it will bust. Every rock has a “busting point.” When you split wood, it has a place that if you hit it just right it will split. Some blocks are easier than others. We’re all breakable. This is why we need God every day and in every moment.
Maybe you think you’ve done too much and can’t be saved. You have a Savior. Realize that you cannot get yourself from under the load of sin you carry. You need a Savior. When Jesus was on the cross, yes, you were on his mind. The invitation is for all to confess and he will save.
If the trouble is sin, we have a Savior. If the trouble is this old world, we have a Savior who overcame the world. None of us live as close to God as Job did. He was as complete in God as a person can be. He did it by faith in obeying God in every way. Can we stand back and say he must have done something wrong to bring all this trouble on? That reasoning is not necessarily so in any occasion.
Job had lots of trouble. The Bible says in verse 19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. We have a trouble fixer! Jesus is the man of sorrows. The Bible says he was acquainted with grief and bore our sorrows so that when trouble comes our way we have him to go to for help. When you go to the doctor you don’t know what you’re going to find out. There are lots of people laid up in bed with cancer, yet they still praise the Lord. Job did. His wife told him to curse God and die. That’s what the devil says. That’s what others may say. Tell the devil to shut up. You may have more trouble than you can shake a stick at but Jesus is there.
Maybe your trouble is against someone else. Peter asked how often to forgive someone–7 times? Jesus said 70×7. That’s almost 500 times. You can forgive. If you sin against God that much he’s still able to forgive you. We just have to keep going to the trouble fixer. Trouble could be the devil, our body, grief, our payday or worry. God will provide. When we can’t find peace it’s simply because wherever we go we take the trouble with us. We can’t run from it any more than we can run from heart trouble or arthritis. It’s like we’re trapped in whatever affliction is upon us. The devil may torment you. The worry is there. Remember that as God’s people we’re a new person. We’re troubled in the flesh but don’t be so consumed with the flesh. Remember the new man and that there is help from the Lord.
One trouble, two trouble, three trouble four, five trouble, six trouble, seven trouble, or…stop! Instead sing What a Friend We Have in Jesus. We can count our blessings instead. There’s no limit to them. Some want to hold onto the worry because they want the attention. Don’t wallow in your sorrow. All of it was loaded on Jesus at the cross. He didn’t deserve that. It’s of utmost sin for us to hold onto it when we don’t have to. Put them in heaven’s bank and get a blessing in return. Verse 8 says I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause. Seek the Lord again. Quit reciting prayers and start really talking to him.
What is it? Your past? Bring it to God. Fear? Jesus is here. God is here today. The fact that you are here means he can help you make it. He can carry all of us through, all the way to heaven. It’s time to let Jesus bear the load. Commit your troubles to him. Does the Bible lie? Does it exaggerate? No, it does not. Verse 19 again: He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. Then 27: Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good. Experience God for yourself. The number of troubles doesn’t matter because we have a waymaker to call upon. We can know the blessing of being free in Christ.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 