The Results Of Life's Trials

His problem began when his owner decided to clean his cage with a vacuum. She had stuck the nozzle in to suck up the seeds and feathers at the bottom of the cage, when the nearby telephone rang. Instinctively she turned to pick it up. She had barely said hello, when ssswwwwwpppppp! Chippie got sucked in.

She gasped, let the phone drop, and switched off the vacuum. With her heart in her mouth, she unzipped the bag. There was Chippie – alive but stunned. He was covered with heavy gray dust. She grabbed him and rushed to the bathtub, turned on the faucet full blast, and held Chippie under a torrent of ice cold water, power washing him clean. Then it dawned on her that Chippie was soaking wet and shivering. So she did what any compassionate pet owner would do: she snatched up the hair dryer and blasted him with hot air.

Did Chippie survive? Yes, but he doesn't sing much anymore. He just sits and stares a lot. It's not hard to see why. He HAD BEEN SUCKED IN, WASHED UP, AND BLOWN OVER! It's enough to steal the song from any stout heart.

All the bad things that happened to “Chippie”, one after the other, make us think of Job in the Old Testament. Let me show you what I mean. Things were going good for Job, and just like Chippie, everything suddenly turned sour.

A. HE LOST HIS CATTLE AND SERVANTS

Look at Job 1:14-15, we read, “And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”

B. HE LOST HIS SHEEP AND SERVANTS

Look at Job 1:15b. We read, “...The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”

C. HE LOST HIS CAMELS AND SERVANTS

In Job 1:17b, we read, “The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”

D. HE LOST HIS CHILDREN

Job 1:18b-19, says, “Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”

E. HE LOST HIS HEALTH

In Job 2:7, we read, “So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.”

Job suffered like few men have ever suffered on this earth. But it needs to be pointed out that he suffered for THE GLORY OF THE LORD. We see a lot of suffering today, but a lot of the suffering we see has nothing to do with the glory of the Lord. It has to do with SOWING BAD SEEDS and REAPING A BAD HARVEST.

But as we preachers preach on Job, many times we fail to point out something. WHAT IS THAT?

The sufferings of this great man of God are a testimony to the faithfulness of the Lord, who brought him through all his troubles. With that in mind, let us see how we can face the sufferings we face, and come through them bringing glory to the Lord.

Illus: A pastor who loved the Lord was going through some great suffering in his church. There was a group of five families in his church that vehemently opposed the preaching of God’s Word. Eventually, they stirred up some trouble in the church, and did everything they could to destroy the church that they once professed to love. But the pastor sought the Lord, and asked the Lord to help him to deal with the problem in a Christ-like manner. He called a special prayer and praise service for his people. As they came together, the pastor said to the congregation, “Here is how we are going to deal with this problem.” Everyone in the congregation was eager to hear what he had to say. He said, “We are going to do what the Bible tells us to do, we are going to love and pray for those who despitefully use us. We are not going to talk about them, we are going to pray for God to fill our hearts with love for these people.” Someone said to the pastor afterward, “Pastor, I do not know how you can take the approach you take in handling this matter.” The pastor replied, “Every fiber within me would love to get up and tell every evil thing they have done. Many in the congregation would be surprised at what they have done, and what they have said. But it is not important that we know what they have done and said, but it is important that God knows, and God does know!”