“If you lay gold in the dust… then the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver. For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to God” (Job 22:24).

 In the midst of Job’s suffering and pain, Eliphaz, one of his friends, uttered the words quoted above. Strange words for someone in the most intense pain of his life, don’t you think? Yet on careful examination, Eliphaz’s words are just what we all need to hear during trying times.

If you’re like most people, you’ll readily admit that it’s easy to feel good about life when things are going well. Now don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing inappropriate about feeling good about life when life is good. Yet at the time these words were spoken, Job’s life was anything but good. He had lost his wealth, his family, his health and the closeness of friends. Even his wife encouraged him to “curse God and die.”
Then came the counsel of Eliphaz. His words were intended to point Job to the only lasting source of goodness - God. He wanted to be certain that Job knew that God was good even if life wasn’t. There’s an important lesson for us in these words. It comes in the form of a question: “Where is your gold?”

You see, if your “gold” comes in the form of a trouble-free life, then you’re looking to the wrong source. A trouble-free life is more difficult to find than the tiny specks of gold a prospector seeks in a mountain stream. Life comes destined for trouble; you won’t have to find it because it will find you.

Eliphaz is telling Job that the entire universe exists to display the greatness of the glory of God, even pain and suffering. The glory of God shines most brightly, most fully, most beautifully in the manifestation of the glory of His grace in the midst of pain.  When do we need grace? Job needed grace (gold) in the midst of suffering. Job came to the point where he defined gold and precious silver as God, and God alone.

One of my favorite authors, John Piper, in his book “Suffering and the Sovereignty of God” puts it this way: “The ultimate reason that suffering exists in the universe is so that Christ might display the greatness of the glory of the grace of God.” The “greatness of the glory of the grace of God” is the “gold” Eliphaz was speaking about. So my earlier question stands.  “Where is your gold?”

God’s grace is manifested in a person, Jesus Christ. It is Christ who will be our “gold” during the dark days of life. It is Jesus who will be our “precious silver” when the gold of this life becomes scarce and hard to find. The message to Job was simple. Turn to a Person, not external things, as the source of gold.

The lesson for us is just as clear. Jesus Christ promises to be our “gold and precious silver” at all times. Our responsibility is to pursue wealth in Him and not other things. Delight yourself in gold. Become wealthy in precious silver, all found in Christ.

“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it” (Genesis 28:16).

Have you ever had the experience of waking up in the middle of the night, not knowing where you are? I have. There has been a time or two when I had to sit up in bed and get my bearings before I realized where I was. It can be a strange experience when it happens. Well, would it surprise you to know that one of the most familiar characters in the Bible had a somewhat similar experience? I’m speaking of Jacob. Let me set the stage for you.

As you know, Jacob conspired with his mother, Rebekah to steal his brother, Esau’s birthright. As you might expect, Esau was very angry and planned to kill Jacob. Jacob was forced to flee. His father Isaac made him promise to go to his uncle Laban to seek a wife for himself. While on the journey, Jacob had a dream. In the dream, God told him that he would become a great nation, that his offspring would be a blessing to all the families of the earth. It’s at that point that Jacob woke from his dream and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

As I’ve thought about Jacob’s words, it struck me that he had much more in mind than the actual location, the place where he had his dream. There was nothing special about where he was, where he chose to spend the night. All the text tells us is that he “came to a certain place and stayed there that night.”  There has to be more to it than that.

Well, as I’ve considered Jacob’s words, I’ve come to see a principle that applies to each of us in various ways. Here’s what I mean. Inherent in Jacob’s statement was his realization that the events that put him in the desert fleeing for his life were being used by God as part of his overall plan for Jacob and his offspring. In other words, God was part of all that had transpired up to that point, including Jacob’s deception of his father and stealing Esau’s birthright.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not condoning Jacob’s deception of his Father. What I am suggesting, however, is that God is sovereign over our actions, no matter how right or wrong they appear. Jacob came to see that God had been active, very active in everything that preceded him being in the desert, fleeing to his uncle in search of a wife. He was not able to see God at work as the events unfolded. Yet on a special night alone in the desert, while fleeing from his brother, he suddenly arose from sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Have you had similar experiences, when in quiet reflection you’ve come to see that God has been with you all along; you just didn’t know it? Are you in such a place right now? Immediately after Jacob said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it” he went on to say, “How awesome is this place.” Yes, it is truly awesome to see how God is at work in our lives, even when we wake up in the middle of the night not knowing where we are.

“It is in quiet solitude that we catch the deep and mysterious truths that flow from the soul of the things God allows to enter our lives.”
(Streams in the Desert, October 26th)

I don’t think it would take much for me to convince you that a significant percentage of my time week in and week out involves speaking, praying, counseling and crying with those in pain. There is literally not a day that goes by when I don’t have the opportunity to interact with someone who is experiencing trials and suffering of one form or another. Now please don’t misunderstand me on this. I am not complaining at all. I take my responsibility to minister to those who are suffering very seriously. I pray daily for the wisdom to bring God’s comfort and grace to each situation.

Nonetheless, I have learned some things from the experience of being close to those who are suffering. It has afforded me the opportunity to make some personal observations that I trust will be beneficial to me when my time of trial comes, as it surely will one day. Here are a few of the things I’ve learned.

First, God is in the details. No matter how intense the trials and suffering, the amount of grief encountered, fear engendered, or uncertainty, God is in the details. We may not clearly see his hand at the outset, but by faith we can trust that he is the controlling force sovereignly at work in the midst of our trials. God knows how to lead us to the point of crisis, and he knows how to lead us through it as well. It is as Jacob said: “Surely God is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Second, God’s promises and his providence do not lift us from the world of common sense and everyday trials. It is through these very things that our character is built and our faith is perfected. Growth in character takes place not through an easy life but through trials and suffering. As one author stated, “Suffering is a wonderful fertilizer for the roots of character.”  By God’s grace, each of us, as a result of our suffering, will come to the place of knowing that God’s most exquisite work in our hearts was done during the darkest of our days.

Finally, God usually steps forward to save us when we least expect it, and often in a most unexpected manner. Thus, the very time (the most important time) for faith to work is when our sight begins to fail.

Now if I were to put all of that together, I would state it in this manner. In the midst of the dark hours that suffering and trials bring, our task is to wait in prayer; wait in patience and wait in faith. Such a response on our part acknowledges God as sovereign over our circumstances; and further, it serves to deepen our humility, thereby giving us the opportunity to bring the ministry of joy to other fellow sufferers. In Peter’s words, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you have been grieved by various trials…”
 

“Arise for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it” (Ezra 10:4).

As you know I spent last weekend in Orlando, Florida attending the Crown College Board of Trustees meeting. It was an enriching time filled with energy, excitement and vision for the future of the College. The Board of Trustees is filled with very impressive people (with one exception). The group includes business men and women, various ministry leaders as well as a variety of influential people from around the country. I am impressed with their humility, self sacrifice and passion for what they do. 

In quiet moments of interaction with them, they often seek time with a pastor (that’s me). I am continually blessed by my private interactions with them. Yet one thing that comes across fairly consistently is their need for others to encourage them in their roles as leaders. In other words, leadership is lonely. I can speak to that first hand. 

In that light, the words of Ezra 10:4 spoke to me. Let me set the context for you. Ezra was a contemporary of Nehemiah. God charged them both with overseeing the construction of the wall surrounding Jerusalem. Ezra tended to the priestly aspects of the job, Nehemiah the actual construction. Ezra was a very impressive individual. Earlier in the book we read this about him; “Ezra was skilled in the Law of Moses. . for Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” 

At a very strategic moment Ezra became aware of the degree to which the people had transgressed the Law of Moses through intermarriage with the pagan peoples of the Land. At one point he said, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my fact to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.” As priest he knew what he had to do. He had to call the people together to confront them and call them to repentance. Earlier in chapter ten we read that he “prayed and made confession weeping and casting himself down.” He was overcome by the enormity of what he knew he had to do. This is where the verse at the top of the page comes into play. God sent a man Shecaniah, to speak to Ezra. He said, “Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.”

There is a significant lesson in this for all of us. Those who are in positions of leadership need others, men and women of faith, to provide encouragement, motivation and courage during the difficult and stretching times of leadership activity. God gave Ezra Shecaniah. I’ve had such people in my life as well. Would you pray that God would bring such people into your life? Even better, perhaps you are that person, directed by God, to speak the right words into the life of a “weeping leader.”