I read something interesting that someone posted on Facebook today. It said that "depressed" pronounced phonetically is "deep rest." It got me to thinking that when I start to feel down and frustrated perhaps it is just time to stop and get alone for rest and refreshment, both physically and spiritually. "For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." (Isaiah 30:15)
I read something interesting that someone posted on Facebook today. It said that "depressed" pronounced phonetically is "deep rest." It got me to thinking that when I start to feel down and frustrated perhaps it is just time to stop and get alone for rest and refreshment, both physically and spiritually. "For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." (Isaiah 30:15)
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“Their strength is to sit still.” (Isaiah 30:7b) In affliction and trial, our first response is often to seek for a way out. We have a sense that we must do something to fix the trouble. To us, action seems the best thing. But God bids us to “sit still.” In Psalm 46:10, He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Worry and fretting do not solve any problems. They only cause us to dwell on them. Dwelling on problems leads to depression. Fretting is of no use because, no matter how much effort we may put into it, we cannot make one hair black or white (Matthew 5:36), or add height to our stature (Matthew 6:27), or control the number of hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30). How then could we expect to control our circumstances? The apostle Peter encourages, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (I Peter 5:7) And Psalm 37:7 tells us, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.” Peter also urges, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5:8) If we fret instead of resting in the Lord and casting our care upon Him; if we try to fix things ourselves rather than being still, this gives more chance for the devil to tempt. He plants seeds of worry in our hearts. These seeds sprout and grow and crowd out contentment and devour our peace. God wants us to cast our care on Him and be still. This is one way to guard against the attacks of the devil. Peter continues, “Whom resist stedfast in the faith…” Why? “…knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” (I Peter 5:9) No affliction is unique to us. Our brothers and sisters throughout the world suffer in the same way. Therefore we must be strong. And our strength is found in sitting still. Also, our affliction has a purpose. Peter goes on to explain God’s purpose for suffering, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (I Peter 5:10) The end result of affliction and suffering is spiritual maturity. Resting in and waiting on God in time of trial allows God to make us perfect and strong and firmly established in the faith. “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15a) Peter concludes his thoughts by saying, “To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (I Peter 5:11) “11Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 12Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me? 13When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; 14Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions: 15So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life. 16I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity. 17What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? 18And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment? 19How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? 20I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself? 21And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.” (Job 7:11-21) For Job, there was no place of comfort or relief, not even in bed. As he eased himself into bed he thought, “Perhaps I will feel better if I just sleep a while. My bed is soft, and it will ease my pain a bit.” But, as soon as he dropped off to sleep, nightmares would begin – horrible, terrifying dreams. Even in sleep there was no comfort. The dreams were so frightening that he wished he could die. If God had given him a choice, he would have chosen to be strangled and die rather than to keep on living. Why? Why did God wake Job up each morning? He loathed his life. “God,” he mourned, “my life is useless. I’m no good for anything. Why will you not just leave me alone. This is too much for me. I need a rest. Cannot my sufferings be relieved just long enough to let me swallow?” On top of his physical anguish, Job experienced spiritual sorrow. He had done what he could to keep right with God; but he felt that God, for some reason, would not forgive him. How could he die with sin in his heart? Why must he die unforgiven? Why would God not answer him and give him peace? How could he die out of favor with God? If God would not forgive him, he had no hope beyond the grave. All was lost. We know that Job’s distress was caused by Satan, not by God. The poverty, the bereavement, the sorrow, the fear, the mental and spiritual torment were all attacks by Satan to try to get Job to curse God. We know these things, but Job did not know them. He could not see what was happening in the spiritual realm. He could only see the here and now. We know that everything turned out good for Job, but Job did not know how everything would turn out. He did not know the end from the beginning. Job could only perceive the present. As far as he could tell, he would never see good again. If you have a friend who is going through deep waters, do not try to comfort that friend by saying, “Everything will be OK.” Remember that your friend can only see the here and now, he (or she) can only perceive the present. And really, that is all any of us can see as human beings. Just be there for your friend and allow him to pour out his heart to you. Share comforting and encouraging Scriptures, but do not “preach” at him. You do not know his heart or the reason for his trials. His hurt may be so deep that he feels he is abandoned, even by God. Let your friend know that you are there if he needs you. Since he cannot see or touch God, do what you can to be God’s instrument of encouragement. If you allow God to use you as His tool, your friend can see God’s love and comfort through you. Perhaps this will give your friend just a glimmer of hope and comfort. You can be God’s feet and hands for Him and share His caring heart. “15My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away; 16Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid: 17What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. 18The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.” (Job 6:15-18) Even Job’s relatives had no compassion on him. Job likened them to a deceitful brook. This brook was only there when water was plentiful. During the winter, the brook was covered with ice. However, it was dangerous ice. It was blackish, meaning the water underneath was too warm to walk on. Some of the ice had snow mixed in it, so that was unsafe too. A person could look at the brook and say, “It is covered with ice; it will be easy to cross here.” Yet, if he stepped out onto it, he would sink in the icy water. Job said his relatives were as unreliable as such a brook. Job continues to explain about the brook. When it is warm, the snow vanishes from the it. During the hot weather, the brook itself dries up completely and leaves nothing behind but a dry path. This brook cannot be depended upon during any season. It was the same with Job’s relatives. They seemed to be friendly and refreshing. However, when things began to get difficult, they started to disappear. When the situation really heated up, they vanished. They were nowhere to be found. “19The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them. 20They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.” (6:19,20) To Job, waiting for his relatives to refresh him was like traveling men waiting to find water in the desert. They come to the place where a brook once was, but the water is gone. Only a dry path remains. Hope of survival is gone. Job was like these travelers. His hope was gone. He expected that his family would be there to help him when he was in trouble, but they had all disappeared. Humanly speaking, Job was desolate. When we see a friend or a family member in desperate condition, do we turn away? Do we neglect that person and go on with our own affairs as if nothing were happening? Do we leave that person to struggle on alone when we could encourage and refresh him or her? The Bible says that, if we do these things, we do not even love God. I John 3:17 says, “But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” The Bible also says, “27Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it . 28Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.” (Proverbs 3:27,28) If God has placed in our hands the tools to help a brother or sister in need, let us ask Him to show us how best to use these tools to meet their needs and to minister to them and encourage them. Let us not be like Job’s relatives who dry up and disappear when one of their own is in trouble. Let us ask God to help us love our brother or sister as we would want someone to show us love if we were in the same situation. If you are in a situation similar to Job’s, do you feel that hope is gone? Do you feel that your relatives have forgotten and forsaken you? There is hope. There is comfort. It is found in the Lord Jesus. The Bible tells us that “there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24b) Although it looked like Job had no more hope, that hope was gone, Job did have hope. In God, Job had a sure foundation of hope. This hope can be yours as well in the Lord Jesus. To learn more about this hope, click on the page “Sure Foundation of Hope.” The Weight of Job’s Grief and Calamity: Faith in God in the Darkest Night “1But Job answered and said, 2Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! 3For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up. 4For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.” (Job 6:1-4) One can almost feel the weight of Job’s discouragement on their own shoulders and in their own heart as Job pours out the description of his sorrows. His grief at the loss of his children was so fresh, yet Eliphaz had made the wound deeper by telling him those children would still be here and would be great if he had not been living in sin. God would have kept him from calamity if he had not been living in iniquity. But calamity had already come. Job’s children were already gone. Oh, the sorrow and despair that must have enveloped him! He had little hope of things improving in this life, and Elizphaz’ words put out any spark of hope that might have remained. There was no more spirit in Job. As Job looked at his life, he did not see any unconfessed sin. He knew his heart was right with God. Yet, it seemed to him that God was against him. His life was pierced with God’s poisoned arrows. The terrors of God were in array against him. Job saw not even a glimmer of hope. He did not know that these terrors and sorrows came from Satan. He did not know God was using his life to bring down the haughtiness of Satan and bring glory to Himself. Job could only look at his circumstances and surmise that God was against him. Yet, Job never lost his trust in God. He had faith in God, even in the darkest night. Longing and Pleading for Death “5Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder? 6Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg? 7The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat. 8Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! 9Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off! 10Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.” (6:5-10) Even the animals are content when they have sufficient to eat. Sometimes the grass of the wilderness dries up, and the wild donkeys bray. When the oxen’s crib is empty, they will start lowing. The stomachs of these animals complain at the empty feeling within. Job had such an empty feeling in his stomach. In the past, Job enjoyed good, tasty food. Now, eating was drudgery to him. Perhaps salt was an expensive commodity in his day. How he enjoyed the flavor it added to otherwise unsavory food! “Imagine,” he says, “trying to eat the white of an egg without salt.” (See verse 6) Before all this tragedy came upon him, Job would not even touch such tasteless food. Now it was his sorrowful meat. This may seem like a small trial, but to Job it was a big one. Everything he treasured was taken away from him. Each day of his life was filled with misery and pain. He longed to find just one comfort, even if it were only a tasty meal. But even his food was horrible. It was tasteless. There was no pleasure in eating it. Job had not one thing to enjoy, not even a flavorful meal. This was too much for Job. He just wanted to die. How he begged God to take His hand off him and destroy him! At least there would be comfort in the grave. Job was not afraid to die and he had no regrets. He had faithfully declared God’s word and could die with a clean conscience. Death seemed like the only thing that held hope for him. Though he longed for death, Job did not take the matter into his own hands. He knew his times were in God’s hands. He dared not take his own life, but he begged God to take it. He had been faithful to God, and now he was content to die, for he could die with a clean heart. Do you long to die? Does it seem like there is no reason to live? Has everything that ever gave you joy or hope been taken away? You are not alone. Job suffered these things. He had not one thing left to enjoy. All was gone – his children, the companionship of his wife, the fellowship of friends, the help of his servants, his animals, and even good food. How he longed for death! Yet, he did not take his own life. Rather, he pleaded with God to take it, for he saw no more joy in living. Even in his desire for death, Job trusted in God. God put this example in the Bible so that you could see that His strength is enough, even in this. God still holds your hand, even through the darkest night. |
About the Author
Hello! My name is Connie, and I live in North Carolina. The Lord has blessed me with wonderful parents, a wonderful sister, and a great church family . The past few years have been difficult in many ways, but God has been with me all the way. Much praise goes to the Lord for His guidance and wisdom in starting this website. I would also like to express my thanks to Valerie who has joyfully and willingly given of her time to help design this website and do much of the technical work. She and her family are faithful servants to the Lord. They also have gone through many trials in the past few years, but they have allowed God to use these trials to make them sweeter and more like His Son Jesus Christ. Rights:
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