Out Of The Whirlwind: Born To Trouble Series

There’s nothing wrong with once in a while leaving the place of worship awestruck. It would become tiring on a weekly basis, but now and then, it is good to tremble at the threshold of the throne of God.

I wonder this morning Wesley Does anyone come to worship expecting to encounter the living God?

I mean, not just talk about God or come away with a cozy feeling that one has been loved somehow, but to actually hear the voice of God or catch a glimpse of God’s full glory? I don’t even think many of us really want an encounter whit God because when God speaks sometimes he speaks in grown up words.

When a whirlwind of adversity strikes, how do you deal with it? We often ask “why?” Or “why me?” Some folks may keep silent or feel guilty about questioning, but most of us seek answers. I want to suggest that sometimes God is in the whirlwind and sometimes God gets tired of us no acknowledging his presences.

What are you saying Rev? Well Glad you asked. Sometimes you go looking to find God when you are in the midst of suffering and God has been there all along. As a matter of face God is using the moment of suffering to speak to you anyway.

The Old Testament account of Job reveals that sometimes the whirlwind is the answer, sometimes God is speaking through the illness, death, war, bankruptcy, or natural calamity? Our assigned text barely do justice to the speech. Read the whole chapter; read two chapters; or even better, read four chapters and maybe you’ll come close to approximating the full effect of the visitation.

Some of the greatest poetry in literature anywhere can be found in these chapters of the book of Job. Bask in the wonder and the beauty and majesty of these words for a moment. Stand in open-mouthed awe at the scope of creation, presented here as a divine, no, as THE divine work of art since time began.

So, Job you want your answer, here it is! Two things you Need to do to get Answers.

I. Remember Who We Are

We don’t have all the answers. A couple lost their son in a tragic motorcycle accident. Friends of the mother found it easy to say, “God needed a flower for his garden.” The “friends” of Job had easy answers. They offered conventional wisdom— “sin brings adversity; righteousness brings prosperity.”

Righteous Job didn’t know what was happening, but he didn’t buy the fake gospel of his friends.

Job stood defiantly before God and sought an audience to plead his case. He demanded a judicial hearing (31:35) but got far more than he expected.

That’s when God said, “Who do you think you are . . . ? Gird up your loins like a man; Put on your Big Boy Pants I will question you” (38:2-3).

Ill: This reminds me of one of the early years in my ministry the Rev. Ed McDowell was my superintendent and had call several Black Pastors into a meeting and told us we were being rebuked for missing a district meeting. We at the time were in Revival and had chosen to go to service rather then come to the meeting. At some point I recall telling Rev McDowell that he was only writing us up because we were black. At that point the yellow brother turned red he was highly peeved and proceeded to explain to me that my ‘wet behind the ears’, ‘leaning to preach yesterday’ didn’t have a clue about being mistreated over race and that I also had no clue about who he was and the Junk(maybe he used another adjective) he had to go through to be a Ds and Pastor in the United Methodist church. It was in that moment that I learned you might want to know the person whom you charge with mistreatment before you make that Kinda declaration.

You know, we often consider ourselves “the masters of our fate,” it is easy to slip into pride and self-sufficiency when adversity strikes. We defend ourselves, justify our actions, point to past faithfulness. We demand an answer or give out easy answers. God reminds us of who we are—a person limited in knowledge and power whom he may be teaching some lessons with adversity.

God placed Job on the witness stand and displayed multiple exhibits of creation’s mysteries.

“Where were you . . . ?

Have you commanded the morning . . . ?

Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up?”

Since none of us can fathom the mysteries of life, we ought to keep more silence in the midst of the whirlwind of suffering. It’s very much ok to ask, but it is also your responsibility to listen when God speaks. God Speak! Is not like man’s words and God is not always in the comforting business.