THE BEAUTY OF HURT

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TEXT: Job 7:4 and Job 7:20,

INTRODUCTION:

Most Christians do two things: Say it is not right to question God and to
question God. Who among us has not felt like asking, God, why are you
using me for your target practice? The question exposes one of our
deepest needs- a sense of purpose in pain, some kind of meaning to our
apparently meaningless blows.
Are we just here, like seaweed, to be battered and blown by the winds and waves
of trouble, or are we placed here, like boats, with power to travel through storms,
with rudders to chart our course, and with a destination? Are we alone in the
water or is there a God who placed us here for a reason and pain and
seemingly unanswered prayers in times of pain, are part of some larger
plan for good?
When God called Paul He told him all that he would suffer for his name (Acts 9:16.
And, oh how he suffered stoning, shipwrecks, sharp pain, slander, and
beheading. But from the fire itself, he cried out, We are not alone. There is a plan
in this madness. In all things he says, God works for the good of those who
love Him and are called to be a part of his purpose and designs (Rom.
8:28 Amplified Version)

If we approach horrible or hurtful events philosophically, looking mostly

for answers, we are doomed to be disappointed.
Is God the author of the death of my child? Does God allow it? Or do things just
happen and God is there to help when it does? Who knows the origin?

We must approach such things practically and relationally. As a human

being, we are part of a suffering world, and therefore, should say, Why
not me? Who am I to be spared? Jesus was not. Paul was not. Most
human beings are not. But as children of God, we can go on to ask, Why
me, Lord? in a more POSITIVE WAY. We do that when we ask God to
help us find the good we can dig out of the bad. Robert Schuller
says, Within every adversity lies a sleeping possibility.
Today we look at some beautiful things God can do with our hurts if we
let Him.

1. HURT CAN DRAW US NEAR TO GOD.

We humans may go to God to accuse God, to bargain with God, to shake

our fist at God, to bow before God and accept the good with the bad, to
ask why or to tell Him we will not question Him but we go! The very
fact that we say, Why me, Lord? means we have been driven to God
and to a deeper level of communication with Him. (Ito ay tanda na ng ating
paglapit sa ating Panginoondahil alam nating Siya lang ang pwedeng
makasagot sa bigat ng ating mga damdamin o pasakit).

Illustration:

When the storm hit the ship Jonah was sleeping in, the Bible says, All the sailors
were afraid and each cried out to his own god (Jon. 1:5). I love the story of the
plane where the pilot told the passengers an engine was on fire. One man yelled
frantically Do something religious somebody! A Catholic pulled out her
beads. An Episcopalian pulled out his prayer book. The unchurched put their face
in their hands and prayed. And a Pentecostal (Word of Hope member) took off his
hat and took up an offering. When the ship is sinking or the plane is going
down, THOUGHTS TURN NATURALLY TO GOD.
The New American Standard Bible says, God CAUSES all things to work
together for good. The New International Version says, In all things God
WORKS for the good of those who love him. Things do not work
together for good, all by themselves. They do this when we put
everything in Gods hands, and ask Him to teach us the life lessons we
need and the ministry we may find in lifes hurting places.
Jesus disciples also encountered just such a time in their lives. They had
all come from various walks of life before they met Jesus. Maybe for
some of them, life was good, and for others life was bad. But for the past
three-and-a-half years that had been with Jesus and life had been good. They had
seen countless miracles, healings, deliverances, walking on water, calming the
storm, feeding the 5,000, and even raising the dead. They had spent the past
years listening to the greatest teachings ever spoken. Further, because they
expected that Jesus would literally overthrow the Roman government and set up
his kingdom in Jerusalem, they were excited because Jesus had gained popularity
and they were on the inside of the movement. Im not saying that everything was
perfect for the disciples, but by-and-large life was going good for them. They had
no reason to expect that in the very near future all of their expectations
and hopes would fall apart. They had no idea of the crisis they were
about to be put through, that Jesus would be arrested, beaten, tried,
and crucified.

However, Jesus knew what was about to take place, and he wanted to
prepare them for what was ahead. So, he explained to them what was
about to happen. And this conversation that Jesus had with them prepared them
better to accept the changes and the uncertainty that was about to come upon
them.

Now, none of us likes change. None of us likes uncertainty and then

eventually would hurt usWere always going to have a certain level of
worry when we know that hard times are ahead of us. However, we can by
examining Jesus discourse with the disciples, learn how to get through those
times without worrying. John 14:1, Dont be troubled. You trust God, now
trust in me.
Now, Jesus knowing the future which lay before his disciples, gave them
encouragement to get them through. He says You trust in God, now trust in
me. And this is really the foundation for finding peace to get through
these tough, hurtful times. All of the other things that he said to them
were hinged upon this one secret. TRUST IN HIM.
Philippians 4:6,7 6 Dont worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you
will experience Gods peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind
can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ
Jesus.

This verse tells us not to worry about anything, but to pray. And I find the focus
here interesting. It doesnt say that if you dont worry but pray, God will instantly
change all of your circumstances so theres nothing left to worry about. Thats not
trust. Thats faith. And faith is necessary.Sometimes God does want to
miraculously change your circumstances. But if thats how it was every time,
then when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, then God would have
said, Okay, Ill make another way. You dont have to go to the cross. But
as we know, that isnt what happened at all. There was no change in Jesus
circumstances because of that prayer, and yet that prayer wasnt wasted
or a failure. Instead, I believe it was in that prayer that Jesus found the
strength to do what was necessary to go to the cross. It was his Trust
in God that led him to pray, Your will be done. And it was this trust
that gave him peace.

Trust and faith are really similar words, almost treated as synonyms
sometimes. But really they are miles apart.Faith is what moves a
mountain or calms a raging storm.What I find more spectacular than
Jesus calming the storm, was his trust in God that allowed him to be fast
asleep in perfect peace while the storm raged all around him. Faith is
knowing that God CAN change things.TRUST IS KNOWING THAT GOD
WILL DO WHATS BEST!Its trust that keeps you floating until the miracle
comes.
God may allow hurts to come in our live for us to see the wonders of His
grace. And because of His grace, God is drawing us closer and closer to
Him. How does God in grace prosecute this purpose? Not by shielding us from
assault by the work, the flesh, and the devil, nor by protecting us from
burdensome and frustrating circumstance, not yet by shielding us from
troubles created by our own temperament and psychology, BUT RATHER
BY EXPOSING US TO ALL THESE THINGS, BY ALLOWING US TO
EXPERIENCE ALL THESE, SO AS TO OVERWHELM US WITH A SENSE OF
OUR OWN INADEQUACY, AND TO CLING TO HIM MORE CLOSELY.
This is the ultimate reason, from our standpoint, why God would allow
our lives to be filled with troubles and perplexities of one sort and
another it is to ensure that we shall learn to hold him fast and to
continually understand that though our strength and ways fail, HE
NEVER FAILS!
Poem:

He never fails the soul that trusts in Him;

Tho disappointments come and hope burns dim,

He never fails.
Tho trials surge like stormy seas around,

Tho testings fierce like ambushed foes abound,

Yet this my soul, with millions more has found,

He never fails; He never fails.

He never fails the soul that trusts in Him;

Tho angry skies with thunder-clouds grow grim,

He never fails.

Tho icy blasts lifes fairest flowrs lay low,

Tho earthly springs of joy all cease to flow,

Yet still tis true, with millions more I know,

He never fails; He never fails.

He never fails the soul that trusts in Him;

Tho sorrows cup should overflow the brim,

He never fails.

Tho oft the pilgrim way seems rough and long,

I yet shall stand amid yon white-robed throng,

And there Ill sing, with millions more, this song

He never fails; He never fails. J.S. Baxter, Explore The Book.

2. HURTS CAN DRAW US TO OTHERS.

One of the good things God can do is to give us more love for others,
and less selfishness.
 Its amazing how selfish we are. We cling to our clan, our family, our friends,
our church. When we see a street person, a wheelchair, a blind person, or
any other of lifes walking wounded we shy away. Why? Because they are
different! They make us uncomfortable. We wish them well but do nothing to
help them. It is only until life thrusts us into some great hurt that we
join them.Our clan changes. We see life through their eyes, because we
are looking from where they are.

Illustration:

Christopher Reeves, who played Superman, learned he wasnt Superman when a

fall from a horse left him paralyzed from the neck down. Michael J. Fox, diagnosed
with Parkinsons disease, said goodbye to his television career. But he said,
Hello! to finding a cure for Parkinsons and to working with and for all who are
afflicted. Christopher Reeves, like Fox, works with and for the paralyzed. (Manny
Pacquiao and others)

Many people turn their hurts into helping others, and we, who know the
Lord, can go a step further, and help them find the hand of God and the
hope of heaven.

3. HURT CAN DRAW US TO OUR BEST SELVES.

Hurts can draw us to God, to others and finally to ourselves to our

best selves. We never know who we really are until we are tested.
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 youre 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 youd 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 youve 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!

Ive come to tell somebody you must never surrender to the devils plan! I
know that sometimes life gets hard and hurtful, 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.

Satans purpose, here, was to use the pain of Jobs 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 Gods purpose (everybody say, Gods purpose) Gods purpose, here, is
to teach Job some truths that he never knew before and to bring out the
best in Jobs life:

To deepen his theology. (That though we are Gods children, we too will
undergo trials in life)
To help him understand God much better and
To provide a demonstration for all sufferers in all the ages, to bring them
into an assurance that God knows what Hes doing!

Brothers and sisters, in the hurt youre going through right now due to
the many trials of life, you have got to believe that God is still in control
and He knows what Hes 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 controlYou can smile when youre money
is funny and your change is strange!
When you recognize that God is in controlYou can hold your head up when
situations have almost gotten the best of you!
When you recognize that God is in controlWhen you lay in bed at night and
cant count your sheep, you can count your blessings!

Well, Pastor if thats so easy, then why didnt Job do it? Understand
again, that Job didnt know of the contest between Satan and God. He
didnt 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 didnt have that thats why he speaks as he does in
verse 4 of chapter 7: He says, Im 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.

But you see, we have it better than Job had it. We have the assurance of Gods
Holy Word! Yes thats 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) hell 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 and hurting, just speak to your spirit and sayThis
aint nothing but a test, and Im going to wait on God to bring me out!

Paul says, I know what it is to be poor or have plenty. . . I have lived

under all kinds of conditions. Christ gives me the strength to face
anything (Phil. 4:12-13, CEV).

Illustration:

I saw a sign, Christians are like tea. Their strength does not come out
until they are in hot water!

Poem: Good Timber

The tree that never had to fight

For sun and sky and air and light,

That stood out in the open plain

And always got its share of rain,

Never became a forest king

But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil

To heaven from the common soil,

Who never had to win his share

Of sun and sky and light and air,

Never became a manly man,

But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow in ease;

The stronger wind, the tougher trees;

The farther sky, the greater length;

The more the storm, the more the strength;

By sun and cold, by rain and snows,

In tree or man, good timber grows.

Where thickest stands the forest growth

We find the patriarchs of them both;

And they hold converse with the stars

Whose broken branches show the scars

Of many winds and of much strife

This is the common law of life. Douglas Malloch, quoted in Resource, Sept./Oct.,
1992, p 7.
 We dont know ourselves, our potential, our courage, our faith, our
strength in Jesus, until some crisis brings it out. Folks, life is a test and
the lessons grow harder the longer we live and it is those people who
overcome obstacles that we admire the most.

CONCLUSION:

None of this is automatic. The blessings come for those who love God in spite of
pain and hurt. Hurt can make us better but it can also make us bitter.

It can drive us to God or build a wall between us and God.

It can drive us inward to discover hidden strengths or to self-pity.
It can drive us to love and help people or to be jealous of their good fortune and
to actually hate them for having what we do not have.

Jobs wife, a sufferer too, who may have lost her faith, said to him, Are you still
holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die! (Job. 2:9). Matthew Henry
catches her meaning, Is this a God to be loved and served?

Illustration:

Mark Twain had little use for religion. When he told his daughter of a famous man
he ate dinner with, she said,Daddy. Ill bet you know everybody but God. His
view of life proved it. He wrote that every year, millions who die,scoff at the
pitiful world and the useless universe and violent, contemptible human
race. Lifes sufferings, especially the death took his wife, drove him not just
away from God, but against God. One of his last books was an attack upon
Christianity. Twain wore his unbelief proudly; but beneath the pride was probably
a lonely, broken heart. A poet puts it, She set a rose to blossom in her
hair/The day faith died/Now glad, she said, and free I go and life is
wide. . ./But through long nights she stared into the dark/And knew she
lied. (Author Unknown)

We may never know why God sends or allows hurt to knock on our door;
but we cannot bear the thought of life without Him or pain without
purpose. And even if we do not get any answers, we know there is an
answer, and we take His hand. And if we look closely, we see the scars of His
sufferings on them. And if we look in his face, we see the One who said in extreme
suffering, My God, why? His name is Jesus.