"Trusted With Trouble"

“Trusted With Trouble”

Once upon a time, there was you. And you lived where you did, with the people you were with, and you lived how you lived. And one day something happened that changed your life: you had an encounter with Jesus! You struggled at first, not sure how to live from that day on. But soon everything just seemed to fall into place. And everywhere you walked the sun seemed to always shine, it seemed there was always a gentle breeze blowing, birds seemed to always be singing in the trees, and all seemed right with the world. And you lived happily ever-after . . . Yeah! As if!

Wouldn’t it be nice if our walk with the Lord made it seem like everywhere we went the sun would always shine, a gentle breeze would always blow, birds would always sing, all would be right with the world, and we would live happily ever-after? Wouldn’t it just be wonderful if our walk with the Lord created around us a “once-upon-a-time” kinda thing? Yeah. But in reality life happens. Even as we strive to walk with the Lord, life happens. And sometimes it seems more than we can bear. In fact, sometimes we can even get to the point where we feel that God has deserted us. “Oh, no! Not me! I’ve NEVER felt that way!” Sure some may deny it. But if we can get past the persona that we display for others, if we can put aside that holier than the word “thou” attitude, we’ll recognize that we have indeed felt that way. And probably more often than we care to admit . . . God knows I have. So what does it profit me to say I have not? Having that feeling is not a permanent denial of His existence, but a temporary doubting of His power. And it’s not a decision to run out on God, but a feeling that you’ve run out of God . . .

What do you do when you feel you’ve run out of God? Have you ever felt that the problem was too great? Have you ever felt like God said you’re on your own with this one? Have you ever felt like the situation was your doing, and He shouldn’t even be asked to help anyway? Have you ever felt that maybe you cried out to Him once too often? Have youever felt so very far away from His presence? What do you do when you feel you’ve run out of God?

Come with me to the 23rd chapter of Job.

1 Then Job replied:

2 “Even today my complaint is bitter; 

His hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. 

3 If only I knew where to find Him; 

if only I could go to His dwelling! 

4 I would state my case before Him 

and fill my mouth with arguments. 

5 I would find out what He would answer me, 

and consider what He would say to me. 

6 Would He vigorously oppose me? 

No, He would not press charges against me. 

7 There the upright can establish their innocence before Him, 

and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.

After I gave my life to the Lord and during my years as a pastor, I can recall some wonderful times with the Lord. We would laugh together, cry together, walk and talk together, sit and share deep conversations together, and dance . . . How we would dance together! It was a wonderful journey where all seemed right with my little world . . . Then life happened, and it seemed that everything I knew, everything that made me who I was turned to sand. And though I tried so desperately to hold on, it all slipped through my fingers. And as I stood in the desert wondering what had happened and how it could have happened, I suddenly came to realize that the desert sand was not the dance floor that I had gotten so used to. I suddenly came to realize that the laughter and the music had stopped, and there was nothing left but the tears. There was obviously a problem, but was it something I had said or done? And then came the feeling that maybe, just maybe this problem was bigger than God. Or maybe He hadn’t even seen the problem, because He had already left me, and had gone to dance with someone else. Or maybe I had just taken up too much of His time. And suddenly I was met with the feeling of being totally alone. . . the feeling that I had run out of God. What do you do when you feel you’ve run out of God?

Let's go back to the 23rd chapter of Job.

8 “But if I go to the east, He is not there; 

if I go to the west, I do not find Him. 

9 When He is at work in the north, I do not see Him; 

when He turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of Him.”

So I thought, “Well, at least I still have my family and closest friends”. But how many of you know that when trouble comes . . . (Amen, somebody?). So as I stood there crying in the desert, some of those who I felt would NEVER leave my side– They had left my side, my back, my front, my top, and my bottom! And on top of everything else I was going through, they stood on a distant shore yelling out to me all the things that I must have done wrong. And I kept silent, though at times they even had me doubting myself. Ahhh, but there came a fullness of time. And in that fullness of time God said,

“Vince, I have never left your side. This was only a test. I was trusting you with trouble. And I trusted you with trouble because I knew that you would never leave My side.” He said,“I knew what you were going through, when you were going through it, and where you were going through it. And it hurt me to watch you go through it. But none of it was about you. I needed other people to see you go through it and to see how you would come out on the other side.”

And immediately I heard Job say:

10 “But He knows the path that I take; 

when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

So what do you do when you feel you’ve run out of God? Well you come to the realization that you CAN'T run out of God, and you understand that you HAVEN'T run out of God. You stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, knowing that the God you serve is greater than the mess you're going through. Take a deep breath and consider Job. Then get back to trusting the God Who trusted you with trouble. [vsm]