Title: When God is Silent
Text: Job 23:1-9;16,17
Topic: Finding ourselves when God is silent
Introduction
Recap
This is our second week looking at the story of Job. Last week we looked at how Job lost everything that he had. He lost his possessions, family, and health. But regardless, he still remained faithful to God. He began to question God, but he remained faithful. Well, eventually he had some friends to come a visit him. They were trying to comfort him but they actually made it worse. Our text this morning is Job’s response to one of his friends.
Lost underwater
As I’ve shared with you before, this summer I went to the beach. While I was there, I tried to get certified as a scuba diver. Now, I’m not a very good swimmer nor am I comfortable in the water, so I really had no business being there. But I tried anyways. We spent time preparing in the pool and then it was time to go into the water. Several things went wrong for me as I was submerged underwater. One thing was that I felt like I couldn’t breath. I hadn’t quite gotten used to breathing with scuba gear. Another problem was that I was in the ocean and there were probably bigger fish than me swimming beside me. Also, well, I was in the ocean where I didn’t belong! However, the scariest moment was when I couldn’t see my instructor. We had been under for no more than 1 minute and for an eternally long 5 seconds I couldn’t see my dive partner or my diving instructor. Well, I had already been thinking about going back up to the surface, so I thought that this was as good a time as any. When my instructor reached the surface, he said that he saw me the entire time. While I felt lost, my instructor knew where I was.
Who was lost?
Sometimes when we think we are lost, we really aren’t. I remember being lost in Wal-mart when I was a child. I walked around panicked looking for my dad. Whenever I found him, I just knew that he would be crying and already have a search team sent our looking for me. But that wasn’t the case. He looked at ease and wasn’t worried at all. He told me, “You weren’t lost. I knew where you were the entire time.”
When God seems to be missing.
Sometimes, we feel like we are lost. As we are looking around, we don’t see God anywhere. We feel like the lost coin, only no one is searching for us. We feel that God has abandoned us and left us in the dark. In today’s text, Job feels alone. He feels like God has abandoned him because he can’t find God. He is suffering and he has friends around, but they aren’t helping him but actually making things worse. In the midst of his suffering and pain, God was silent.
How you ever felt this way? Have you ever felt that at times God seems to be hard to find? I have found that for myself, God is usually indeed speaking, but I’m looking at other places for God. Maybe God is speaking, but we aren’t listening. Or maybe God is speaking, but we don’t want to listen to what he has to say.
Regardless of how we feel, we can bring our frustrations to God.
We can bring our frustrations to God.
When Jade has a bad day
One bad thing about men is that we want to fix everything. Whenever someone comes to us with a problem, we take it upon ourselves to fix it. Well, as you can imagine, Jade, being a middle school teacher, has a bad day every now and then. Regardless of what you believe, all 6th graders aren’t saints. Some days she comes home with hope that she is getting through to the kids and that they are learning. Other days she comes home stressed. So, whenever she first began teaching and would have a bad day, she would come home and talk to me about it. She would tell me how she’s having a hard time with so and so, and that she feels like some of the kids aren’t learning. So, I thought to myself, “If she’s coming to me to tell me all of this, she apparently wants my advice.” So, I went on to tell her all that she was doing wrong and what I would do if I were in her situation. Well, come to find out, she didn’t want my advice at all. She just wanted someone to talk to and vent to. So men, if you haven’t found out already, when your wife shares her frustrations with you, it’s usually not for your advice.
Argumentative church meetings
Over the years I’ve had the chance to be in many church meetings. And sometimes, those meeting can get a bit heated. But something that I’ve found out is that these people aren’t arguing with each other because they don’t like each other. They are arguing because they care deeply about their church.
Job’s friends
Job’s friends heard about his problems and immediately came to him. They came to try to fix his problems. However, not only did they give bad advice, but they also missed the point entirely. At this point in his life, Job simply needed someone willing to listen to him.
Being genuine
As you read throughout the story of Job, we begin to question whether Job is this upright man that we thought. He seems to spend a lot of time complaining and questioning God. He seems to at times lose faith. But the truth is, it’s ok to bring our complaints and questions to God. Above all, God wants us to be genuine with him. Sometimes having a loss of faith can show faith to be more genuine. Above, God wants us to be real and honest with him. When we are frustrated, God wants us to know that we can bring our frustrations to him. One of our biggest frustrations in our faith comes when God is silent.
We can find God when we are silent
Lost sunglasses
There have been many times when I was getting ready to go someplace that, at the last minute, I realize that I have misplaced something and end up late because I can’t find it. One time, I spend about 10 minutes looking for my sunglasses just to realize that they were on my head the entire time.
God is missing?
Whenever we can’t hear God, is God really missing? Or has he been there the entire time, but we are looking in the wrong place?
Bad listeners
Have you ever met any of those people who, while you are talking to them, you know that they aren’t listening? You can just see it in their eyes that they could care less what you have to say. Usually these people are so eager to talk that while you are talking they aren’t listening to you, but rather thinking about what they are going to say next.
Job building his case
From this text, I get the feeling that maybe Job was a bad listener. In V. 3 and 4 Job says “Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling! I would lay my case before him, and fill my mouth with arguments!” Could it be that Job can’t find God because Job is so busy thinking about his argument? Could God be speaking to him, but Job isn’t listening but rather thinking about what he is going to say next?
When we are silent
We live in a noisy world. A world full of distractions. No wonder we feel like God isn’t with us. No wonder God seems silent to us. Maybe God is speaking to us, but our surroundings are so loud that we can’t hear God. Maybe, if we were silent, then we could hear God speak. Maybe, instead of listening to the advice of others all the time like Job, we can hear the voice of God.
We can bring our frustrations to God, we can hear God when we are silent, and whenever we find God, we find our true place.
Finding God results in us finding our place.
Finding ourselves
The truth is, God isn’t lost. We are. Just as the earth is lost if it doesn’t know where the sun is, just like the baby bird is lost if it doesn’t know where its mother is, just like a fish is lost if it doesn’t know where the water is, we are lost when we don’t know where God is. It’s not a matter of us finding God, but finding ourselves in God. The story of Job helps us, above all, to see our place in the story of God. We need to spend our days seeking to orient our lives around God, and not trying to orient his life into ours. Finding God helps us find our place.
Jacob wrestling with God
While traveling with the Israelites, Jacob met God. He wrestled with him and walked away with a limp. He also walked away with a new name. Whenever Jacob found God, we found his place in Israel’s history. He met God as Jacob, but he walked away as Israel.
Conclusion
Have you found God?
Have you found God? If so, where have you found your place? What have you learned about yourself? When God is silent, search for Him. And when you find him, you will never be the same! In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
