From The Desk Of Toby Powers
Pastor Of Truth Baptist Church
Bremen, GA
www.trumpetoftruthonline.org
LORD, ARE YOU THERE? Job 23:1-10
Intro: Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar had come to grieve with Job and had accused him of gross iniquity bringing about this intense suffering he was enduring, but job desired to reach God for a verdict on his life that would be more accurate than the opinions of these men (v. 4). Why was he enduring such trouble? He would ask God, but the problem is... he can’t find God! (v. 3, 8-9). Sometimes it is hard to find him; therefore, we are commanded to seek him:
Zeph 2:3 “Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth”
Isa 55:6 “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:”
I Chron 16:11 “Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.”
I Chron 28:9 “if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.”
II Chron 15:2 “The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.”
Yet, of himself, no man seeketh after God (Romans 3:10). It is the circumstances of life that open our eyes to our need of him. It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). And godly sorrow worketh repentance in us (II Cor 7:10). In the experiences of life, things happen that drive us to him! Yet, in the midst of many of these times, we find ourselves looking for God and like Job asking, “Lord, Are You There?”
I. IN THE DARK: Job asked, “Lord are you there?” Job 30:26 “When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.” Job was in a dark time of life. Darkness itself is the absence of light, and God is light (I John 1:5 “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.”). When God took his protecting presence away from Job, it was a dark time in his life! In the Bible there is the issue of:
A. Sinners in Earthly Darkness: Eph 5:8 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” I Peter 2:9 says that he “called us out of darkness” into his marvelous light.
B. Souls in Eternal Darkness: All throughout the Bible eternal punishment in Hell is depicted as everlasting darkness. Matt 22:13 “Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
C. Suffering in Emotional Darkness: Job was here. Every person experiences times like this. It is a place where you don’t:
1. Understand His Providence
2. Know His Plan
3. Comprehend His Purpose
4. Experience His Presence
You look for God everywhere, but in your darkness, you just can’t find him. That’s where Job was! (Illustration: Caitlyn and I were riding a ride that went into a dark place. She said fearfully, “Dad, Are You There?” I simply reached out and touched her. She knew it was me by my touch without seeing me or hearing me say a word!) Job recalled, he was in the dark, but God sees in the dark! (v. 10).
II. IN THE DROUGHT: Elijah asked, “Lord Are You There?” I Kings 17-18. Elijah prophesied it would not rain again until God gave him word (17:1). But God fed him... first through ravens and a river (17:2-7), and later through a widow who was near starvation herself (17:8-16). God vindicated himself with fire on the altar in answer to Elijah’s prayer (18:31-39). And Elijah prevailed against all the prophets of Baal and the Grove (18:40). Elijah prayed for rain, and after a 3 ½ year drought, God answered with rain (18:41-46). But as rain began to fall again a drought set in on Elijah (ch. 19). Elijah was looking for answers from God. In serving God there are times of droughts of God’s presence when you least expect it. Elijah began to look for God:
A. In Wind: But God was not in the wind. I Kings 18:11
B. In Earthquake: He was not in the earthquake. v. 11
C. In Fire: He was not in the fire. v. 12
D. Still Small Voice: He was in the still small voice. v. 12. It is not in the spectacular and sensational where you experience God the greatest; it is in those quiet times where it is just you and him. There was no fire falling from heaven, no ravens bringing meat, no children being raised from the dead. He just experienced God in the solitude of prayer!
III. IN DANGERS: The Apostles asked, “Lord, Are You There?” Matthew 14:22-33. Jesus told them to get on a ship and set sail, but it took them right into the storm! Notice:
A. They Were Obeying God, Yet They Endured A Storm: v. 22
B. Jesus Was With Them, Yet They Endured The Storm: v. 25-27. He was walking; they were sailing, but they were not in the storm alone. He walked on the same waves that nearly sunk their ship!
C. They Called On Him, Yet The Storm Raged On: v. 28-31
The storm ceased when he decided to stop it (v. 32). They believed and worshiped him for it. God will stop the danger when he chooses!
IV. IN DEATH: Martha and Mary asked, “Lord, Are You There?” John 11
A. Lazarus Was Sick, and The Sisters Sent For Him: v. 3
B. Jesus Cared But Did Not Come: v. 6. They must have wondered where is he? Why has he not come? Does he not understand how serious this is? Does he not care? Is he really listening to our message we sent? Does he really answer prayers?
C. The Friends Had Faith, But Only In What They Could See And Feel: v. 21, 32. Both sisters believed he could have done something had he been there. Martha got in his face, but Mary got at his feet! Jesus worked a miracle!
He had a miracle in mind all along! They thought if he had only been there he could do something, but he was doing more by allowing them to wait. Most will have to wait until the resurrection of the last day, but there will be a mighty miracle on that day!
Conclusion: He did not keep Job from darkness, Elijah from drought, the Apostles from danger or Lazarus from death, but he did see them through it! He did not appear to even be present to them until after they truly began to seek him. If you too find yourself asking, “Lord, Are You There?”, know that he is! Soon he will manifest himself and work for you!
Illustration: Several years ago we were in Disneyworld with our children. It was a hot and beautiful sunny south Florida day. Caitlyn, my middle girl, and I got onto the "Tomorrowland Transit Authority", which is a ride that carries passengers around that portion of Disneyworld letting you see all the other rides. She, as any 4 year old child would be, was so very excited. She just talked and laughed without a moment of stopping, until we entered the portion of the ride that went into Space Mountain. The bright sunshine suddenly turned to absolute darkness. More than that, I sat completely silent on the seat across from her to see what she would do. Her joyful laughter stopped. Her tone of voice changed substantially. She called out to me, "Dad... Dad.... Daddy, are you there?" I didn't answer as I was trying to see how she would react. She asked again, and this time I could hear the fear in her voice and the trembling of her lips as she said, "Dad, are you there?" I did not even answer her with words... I just reached over to her, put my hand gently on her knee, and without me saying a word and in dark so black she couldn't see my face at all... with just the touch of my hand she answered with great peace and relief, "Oh... there you are, dad." When we cannot seem to see God, feel God, touch God, or experience God, we must continue to call out to him. Just a touch from him will bring peace to our hearts.
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