(King James Verssion)
“When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.”
(New King James Version)
“When I lie down, I say, ‘When shall I arise, and the night be ended?’ For I have had my
fill of tossing till dawn.”
(Contemporary English Version)
“ I pray for night to end, but it stretches out while I toss and turn.”
In July of 1961 (42 years ago) a singer by the name of Bobby Lewis recorded a song titled ‘Tossin’ - n - Turnin’. For 23 weeks, the song road the music charts eventually hitting the number spot in both the pop and rhythm & blues categories.
The words and melody of the song, which was the only monster hit recorded by Bobby Lewis, was on the lips and in the minds of practically every teenager of that time who had ever been in love. In the song, Bobby Lewis sang to a woman who had evidently done some "love thing" to him that caused him not to be able to sleep at night.
He said, “I couldn’t sleep at all last night, just a thinking of you.” He said, “things weren’t right – cause, I was tossin and turning, turning and tossin... Toss and turn all night.”
And then, he went on to describe everything he went through that restless evening. He said, “I kicked the blankets on the floor, turned my pillow upside down. I never, never did before.. but I was tossin’ and turnin’, turnin’ and tossin’... toss and turn all night.”
He said, “I jumped out of bed, turned on the light, pulled down the shade... went to the kitchen for a bite. . . Rolled up the shade, turned off the light, I jumped back into bed It was the middle of the night! The clock downstairs was striking four - couldn’t get you off my mind. I heard the milkman at the door... because, I was tossin’ and turnin’, turnin’ and tossin’... toss and turn all night!”
My brothers and sisters, I can’t say that I’ve ever been in love like that (except maybe the night before I was about to get married) - but in my life, I have spent many nights ‘Tossin’ - n - Turnin’ over problems!
How many know today that the troubles of life can cause you to loose sleep? Sometimes, your troubles can be so great that you pray for morning to hurry up and come, so at least you can go to work and try to forget about your troubles for a little while.
Troubles will test you and find out what you’re made of! Everyone here has had a situation, or a problem that seemed to have no solution, nor rhyme, nor reason why it was happening to you. Especially if you’re a Christian!
Sometimes it seems like when you are trying to live for God that troubles come from everywhere! Sometimes the troubles of this Christian life seem so unfair! But you must understand that “many are the afflictions of the righteous.” In other words, ‘righteous folk have to go through!’
That word “righteous” is the key word there. First of all, understand that there are two types of righteousness: One is to be “self righteous.” That means we think we are better than everyone else!
A person who thinks they are righteous because they don’t cuss, smoke, drink, or do drugs, and so on... but looks down on those who do without offering a word of Godly advice is “self righteous.” But listen... just because you don’t do any of those things does not make you righteous - because a lot of folk in the church don’t do any of that, but they’re guilty of other stuff like not speaking to their neighbor, like holding a grudge against somebody, like wanting to be scene or recognized for what they do in the church!
But let me straighten you out: To be righteous of God is to be made a new again! Paul said in II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
To be “IN CHRIST” (as Paul suggests)means “to be in the anointed one and His anointing is in us!” How many know that anointed folk go through more hell than folk with no anointing? (I must not be talking to any anointed people here today.) If you know you’re anointed slap three people a high five and tell them, “I got it, I got it, I got it!”
In the text, we find a man who is undergoing a severe testing of his faith - only Job, here, is unaware that he is the subject of a spiritual contest between God and Satan. The book of Job is called one of the most profound books in all of the bible for it confronts head on the toughest question of Christian existence, "Why do the righteous suffer and the evil prosper?" Or as every Christian person has cried out over the ages, "What did I do to deserve this? Why is this happening to me?" Have you ever asked God questions like that while you’re in a midnight situation that caused you to lose sleep?
– Lord, I thought I was your boy...
– Lord, I thought I was your girl...
– You told me that you’d make my enemies be my foot stools...
– You told me that I would eat the fat, drink the sweet and be merry...
. . . But here I am, “Tossin’ - n - Turnin, Turnin’ - n - Tossin’... Tossin’ and Turnin’ all night!”
You know the story, if you’ve studied your bible, Job suffered a tremendous series of calamities that wiped out all that he held of value. In one tragic day Job lost all his possessions, and his seven children. Subsequently, he lost his health, and was afflicted with a terrible disease that left him covered with boils from head to foot.
To top it all off, his wife turned against him, and suggested that he curse God and commit suicide. But look at Job and learn... despite all of these pressures, Job trusts in the mercy and love, and grace of God and refuses to do what Satan is trying to get him to do - that is curse God and die!
I’ve come to tell somebody... you must never surrender to the devil’s plan! I know that sometimes life gets hard, but tell your neighbor “You have too much to lose if you give up now!”
What we must understand is that in every trial of this Christian there are two (2) purposes in operation: Satan has his purpose, and God has his.
Satan’s purpose, here, was to use the pain of Job’s illness to afflict his body. Next, to use the well-intentioned comfort of his friends to irritate his soul (because his so-called three friends - Bildad, Eliphaz and Zophar - were trying to tell him that he must have done something wrong and as a result, God was punishing him,) and thirdly, to use the silence of God to assault his spirit and to break his faith.
But God’s purpose (everybody say, “God’s purpose”) God’s purpose, here, is to teach Job some truths that he never knew before. (1) to deepen his theology. (2) to help him understand God much better - and (3) to provide a demonstration for all sufferers in all the ages, to bring them into an assurance that God knows what He’s doing!
I’m gonna leave you alone in a minute, but my brothers and sisters, when you are going through, you have got to believe that God is still in control and He knows what He’s doing! And when you recognize that God is in control, you can sleep at nights when the storms of life are raging!
When you recognize that God is in control...
– You can smile when you’re money is funny and your change is strange!
When you recognize that God is in control...
– You can hold your head up when situations have almost gotten the best of you!
When you recognize that God is in control...
– When you lay in bed at night and can’t count your sheep, you can count your blessings!
Somebody said, “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what the Lord has done!” Matter of fact, you ought to make you a “Blessings List.” Take a day to write down all of the times your back has been up against the wall and God has brought you out! I guarantee you won’t be able to write it down in one day, though, for the song writer said, “If I had to tell it I could not tell it all!”
Well, Pastor... if that’s so easy, then why didn’t Job do it? Understand again, that Job didn’t know of the contest between Satan and God. He didn’t know that Satan had shown up in heaven and petitioned God for a chance to beat him down. The only reason we know is because we have the evidence of scripture. Job didn’t have that - that’s why he speaks as he does in verse 4 of chapter 7: He says, “I’m going through so much now that when I lie down, I say, when shall I arise, and the night be gone? Because I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.” I’m talking about: ‘Tossin - n - Turnin’
. . . But you see, we have it better than Job had it. We have the assurance of God’s Holy Word! Yes... that’s why God gave us His word in complete form, because God knows that if Satan tried to do it to Job, (a man who was perfect) he’ll try to do it to you and me (who are far less than perfect).
. . . And so, the next time you find yourself ‘Tossin’ - n - Turnin’ just speak to your spirit and say... “This ain’t nothing but a test, and I’m going to wait on God to bring me out!”
I’m about to close, but how many know that God will bring your out? You see, your test today is directing connected to three things:
(1) It’s connected to your past
(2) It’s connected to your present
... and (3) it’s connected to your future.
Your past connection is that God saw something in you that needed to change for the better, and so He brought out of your dark past and placed you in your present light!
. . . But now, God didn’t say that your life (from then on) would be a flowery bed of eaves. But you must understand that your future blessings are connected to how you handle your present sufferings.
In other words, if God sees that you can handle what you’re going through right now, He’ll bless you on tomorrow with a blessing you won’t have room to receive!
In other words, if you can endure tonight’s ‘Tossin - n - Turnin’ ... tomorrow God has promised that your:
– Problems will turn into your praise...
– Your trials will turn into your triumphs...
– Your worry will turn into your win...
– Your test will turn into your testimony..
– You’ll no longer be a victim, you’ll be a victor!
No wonder David was able to say, “Weeping endure for a night, but joy... comes in the morning!” I stopped by, on my way to heaven, to give somebody a good word: “It’s almost morning time!” Rise, shine, and give God the glory!
Touch your neighbor on the shoulder and tell them, “I see the SON about to come up!” Not the S-U-N, but the S-O-N. I see the Son of God about to show-up in somebody’s situation, and honey, when He shows up... He’s gonna show out!
God wanted me to tell somebody...
– He’s seen your “Tossin - n - Turning!”
– He knows what you’re going through in your home...
– He knows what’s been happening between you and your child...
– He knows how they’ve been treating you on your job...
– He knows how some of your so-called friends have been talking about you...
– He knows what’s been going on with your finances.... but hold on, a little while longer!
Thank you Job for going through! You’ve been an encouragement to those of us who must go through times of suffering. It’s not always because we are sinful. Sometimes it is, and we know it when it is. But Job, we know from the scripture that you did nothing to deserve it.
. . . But thank you Job for letting us look behind the curtain of God’s purposes and see the blessings that hang on the outcome of our struggle. And so today, I want tell somebody what you said, “All of my appointed time, I will wait until my change comes!”
– I might have so spend a few more sleepless nights, but I’ll wait!
– I may be talked about and made fun of for a few more days, but I’ll wait!
– I may have suffer a few more aches and pains in my body, but I’ll wait!
– I may be broke today, but I’ll wait!
– My marriage may be on the rocks today, but I’ll wait!
– Some church folk may not be speaking to me, but I’ll wait!
– I may lied on, but I’ll wait!
– I may be criticized, but I’ll wait!
– I may be lonely, but I’ll wait!
- I’ll wait until my change comes!
I hear some old child of God saying “If Job waited on the Lord, why can’t I?” Turn and tell your neighbor, “Wait a little longer.”
Epilogue
Listen... the climax of Job’s situation is not the restoration of his property or the provision of a new family. NO. The climax is when God reveals himself and hence, Job (in chapter 42) says: “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”
Job learned God’s character through suffering. God revealed his power and might and wisdom. And in doing so He also revealed his mercy and compassion.
My brothers and sisters, the purpose of suffering is not always punishment. Sometimes it’s to give us a more real experience of God, of who He is and what He’s like. God wants our suffering to lead us to endurance, and stronger faith and trust in Him.
Understand that if “many are the afflictions of the righteous” (or the anointed) then, if you’re going though today, you must be worth something. Turn to the person sitting next to you and tell them, “You’re worth something to God!”
