 Well, at a kid's summer camp, a counselor was leading a discussion on creation. He explained why God had created the clouds and the rivers and the rocks and the trees and the animals that God had a good reason for all that he had created. Well, that's when one little boy, he raised his hand. He said, if God has a good purpose for everything, then why did he create poison ivy? Well, the counselor didn't know quite how to answer. Finally, another child came to the rescue. He chimed in. The reason God made poison ivy is because he wants us to know there's certain things we just need to keep our cotton picking hands off of. A good explanation indeed. I believe that when we get to heaven, we'll discover that every story begun in this life does finish with a happy ending. There is a good reason for everything God does. The problem, though, is that we don't always see His purpose. There are issues in life like poison ivy that cause great grief for no apparent reason. Some situations appear to have no saying, logical explanation, and we wonder why. How do you respond when bad things happen and God gives no reason why? As Christians, we believe that God is sovereign. That means that He does whatever He likes, whenever He likes, however He likes, to whomever He likes. He rules the universe, both good and evil. Hey, God is the boss. Read the first chapter of the book of Job, and you'll notice that Satan can't harm a hair on Job's head without first getting God's permission. Nothing happens in our lives or in the universe, for that matter, that isn't at the very least permitted by God. Of course, God's sovereignty is a wonderful doctrine when circumstances are pleasant, when our life is going well. Oh, we're delighted that God chooses to bless us, but what's your attitude when life takes a turn for the worse, and for no apparent reason? In my early years as a Christian, I had a friend who was a captivating Bible teacher. Dan had a growing ministry. He was a husband and a father of five kids. His life and ministry was influencing thousands of people for Jesus, including my own. And I'll never forget the day when I heard on the radio that the prop plane he had been flying had slammed into the side of a mountain. The news broke my heart. And I can remember crying out, God, why? Look at all He's doing for your kingdom, God, why this? This is how I respond today when I hear of a tornado that touches down and destroys a trailer park, or a family on vacation killed by a drunk driver, or a virtuous woman rate, or a school shooter who's targeted innocent kids, or a hardworking husband who gets laid off and can no longer feed his family, or a child born with a severe handicap, or a follower of Jesus diagnosed with a cancer. What happens to your faith when you encounter a terrible situation? How do you respond when bad stuff happens to good people, even God's people, and you see nothing good result? Have you ever asked why? Have you ever screamed why? Well, how do you deal with the poison ivy in your life? Well, Job dealt with plenty of poison ivy. In the first two chapters of the book of Job, we learn how that overnight he lost everything. His fortune was stolen. His family was wiped out. His fitness failed him. Even his friends forsook him. And usually a man in such distress can lean on the comfort of a devoted wife. But that's when Mrs. Job said to him, why don't you just curse God and die? Not exactly what you want to hear from the Mrs. I'm sure you heard of the stress factor index. It's a set of numerical values that try to quantify the amount of stress produced by certain events. For example, the death of a spouse equals a 100. The death of a close family member, a 63. Fired from a job is a 47. A pregnancy is a 40. That's for the wife. It's 150 for the husband. Own it, own it, it goes. The experts say that 79% of those who stress factor index hits 300 plus, so for a major illness is a consequence. Well when I figured Job's stress factor index, it added up to 650. That's twice the danger level. If you think you got problems, just check out our man, Job. And here's the kicker, Job did nothing to deserve what had happened to him. In fact, Job gets vindicated from the outset. Chapter one verse one tells us that Job was blameless and upright, and one who feared God in shunned evil. Chapter two verse three, the Lord himself says that all that happened to Job came upon him and I quote, without a cause. Yes, Job was human, and like all humans he was a sinner, but he had done nothing specific to warrant his calamity. Hey, if you doubt Job's devotion to God, look at his initial reaction to his loss in chapter one verse 21. There he utters these words, naked I came from my mother's womb and naked shall I return there, the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. I mean to me that is one of the strongest statements of faith in all the scripture. Job chapter one verse 22 sums up Job's part in his afflictions. We're told in all this Job did not sin. Now in Job chapters one and two, we are told why all this devastation occurred in Job's life. You see, Job got caught in the middle of a cosmic showdown between God and Satan. One day the devil appeared before God in the heavenly host, and like a proud papa, I mentioned the piety of his servant Job. Well Satan scoffed, God you've blessed Job so abundantly, why wouldn't he serve you? You've spoiled him. Allow a little hardship loose in his life, and Job will turn on you in a heartbeat. Hey ironically, rather than being punished for some evil deed, Job's agony was caused by just the opposite. God was so proud of Job's devotion, he had staked his own honor on Job's reactions. Without knowing it, Job was serving as the appointed protector of God's glory. You know whenever I read the book of Job, I'm struck by an often overlooked fact. Job never read the first two chapters of the book of Job. He didn't. God never told why he suffered, but not Job, until the day he died, Job never got an explanation for his calamity. God never told Job why, but that sure didn't stop his friends from trying to answer the question. And for the bulk of the book, chapters 3 through 31, 3 pals if you can call them that, Eliphaz and Bildad in so far took turns offering their explanations for the cause of Job's sufferings. I figured they were golfing buddies, probably a foursome that met every Saturday morning. And when Job didn't show up one Saturday, they came to check on their friend. When they arrived, they find Job, he's sitting in the middle of the ash heap, he's scratching his oozing sores with a broken piece of pottery. And for seven days, they just sit there in silence, mourning for their friend. As it turns out, just sitting there with Job, being there for Job, was really the only benefit that they offered. For when they opened their mouths, they torture him with erroneous counsel. In chapter 16, verse 2, Job tells us how much help they were. He says, miserable comforters are you all. Hey, Job's golfing buddies are like many folks today who are trapped in a restricted defective theology. I like to call it a kindergarten theology. It's the simplistic view, it's the belief that in this life, sin is always punished and good is always rewarded. Thus, when bad things happen, it means that the victim must have committed some sin. As kids, our experiences with mommy and daddy seem to confirm this belief. Parents are good at seeing to it that our noble deeds are prized and that our disobedience is punished. Oh, but then we move out into the real world and we realize that's not always how life pans out. Bad things do happen to good people. Bad people often get away with their crimes. Circumstances are not always just. Life isn't always fair. Being a bit of a golfer myself, I've noticed how that golfing buddies particularly like to hold to this simplistic kindergarten theology. When a golfer hits an errant shot off into the woods, he caroms off a tree trunk, bounces back into the middle of the fairway. He'll oftentimes laugh and he'll turn to his partner and he'll say, well, looks like I'm living right. As if holy living entitles you to favorable breaks while unholy living leaves you in the rough. Man, I wish that life was always that straightforward, but it's not. And this is what Eliphaz and Bildad and Zophar refuse to admit. They become adamant. For 29 chapters, they scrutinize Job to uncover the slightest cheek in his armor on which they can blame his demise. At points in the dialogue, they even make up accusations. You see, Job's three friends try every tactic imaginable to pin a sin on Job. Tragically, there are also Christians today who hold to this same faulty theology. Listen to most TV preachers and you'll hear them teach a kindergarten theology. Oh, do the right thing and you'll be rich. You'll be healthy and happy. You'll be driving that Lexus in no time. Trust me, TBN would have never invited Job to host a show. I have a friend who suffers from chronic asthma. She is a godly lady. She is a woman of prayer. And yet her Christian friends insisted that her suffering had to be the result of some sin in her life. Her friends, like Job's friends, went to great efforts to pin a sin on her. Sometimes we have a peanuts cartoon strip, Snoopy standing there next to his doghouse. It's been burned to the ground by a fire and he's sobbing. I've lost my pool, my van go, all of my keepsakes. And that's when Lucy approaches him. She snaps at him and she says, I can tell you why your house burned down, you sinned. And Snoopy responds with one of the best theological answers ever uttered. In fact, he sounds a lot like Job, he says. You see, here's the problem with this kind of defective theology. It backs you into a corner. When bad stuff happens in your life, you only have two options. Either God failed, or you've sinned. And that's why Job's friends insist that the problem is Job. For if it isn't in their minds, it means that God has failed. And they're not about to entertain that possibility. In reality though, neither assertion was true. The real cause for Job's sufferings was hidden in the heavens. You see, Job knows there's a reason. There's got to be another option. He just doesn't see it. And learning why becomes the burning issue in Job's life. Reminds me of the two Americans that traveled down to Mexico to open up a bungee jumping operation. They erected the tower as a curious crowd of locals all kind of gathered around the watch. Well, finally it came time for a test jump. One of the guys, he dove off of the platform, but when he bounced back up, his partner noticed that he was a little scraped, scraped up. He gasped, oh no, the cord must be too long. So he tried to grab his friend, but he missed it. Well, the second time the guy bounced back up to the platform, he was in worse condition. He had bruises and broken ribs. Again, his buddy tried to grab him, but he missed it. Well, the third time this fellow rose back up, the poor guy was so badly beaten, he was nearly unconscious. This time his sidekick, he lunged out and he grabbed him and pulled him back to the platform and he asked him, he said, man, he said, I'm so sorry. Was the cord too long? And his partner replied, no, the cord was just fine, but what's a piñata? Ask somebody, they'll tell you what that means later. But sometimes life gets rough. It'll beat you up and you don't know why. Or worse, it treats your partner, your spouse, or your co-worker, or even your child like a piñata and you get no explanation. Oh, he loves you, Lord. Why did this happen to him? Oh, she's such a good person. Why her, Lord? We've all asked these questions, haven't we? You see, Job, too, was good and godly, but virtue didn't insulate him from pain in his life. And remember, it wasn't Job's sin that made him a target for hardships, it was his goodness. Don't you be deceived. Just because a person is hurting, doesn't mean they're sinning. And just because a person is thriving, doesn't necessarily mean that God is pleased. Hey, it does pay to be good and godly, but payday doesn't always come in this life. In the here and now, calamity can strike even the godliest among us. Difficulties can hit without explanation. Hey, faith doesn't always get a reason. And so don't let life back you into a corner. When things go wrong, we think we only have two conclusions. Either God failed or I'm a failure. And since none of us are going to blame God, it's got to be me. And so we beat ourselves up. But remember the story of Job. When bad stuff happens, it doesn't mean that God has failed, nor does it mean that you're a failure. There could be a reason hidden from view. Only heaven knows the whole story. God is expecting you and I to trust in him. And this is why our responses on earth matter. For in a mysterious way, unknown to you and me, God's reputation may be hanging on the way that we handle that hassle or that hardship or that hindrance. God's honor in heaven, His glory, may be riding on your reaction to the twist and turns life throws you away. You see, to me the message of Job is the most practical in all of the Bible. It ups the ante on everything that happens in my life. My every reaction becomes strategic. Think about it. Every eye in heaven may be fixed on you to see how you handle the illness that strikes or the lie told about you or the lawsuit filed against you. Will you fold or will you be faithful? You see, this book teaches a vital lesson. That is that the stress in my life may just be a test of my faith. Hey, Satan has accused the Almighty of stacking the deck of buying our devotion with His blessing. He assumes that God is nothing more to us than a meal ticket and He has thrown down the gauntlet. He has challenged God, nixed their blessing and they'll stop their devotion. Do you realize that God may have chosen you to prove otherwise? God's character may be on the line in heaven and your response to difficulty will win the day. I'm just saying the stakes are a lot higher than any of us realize. The one certainty is that our reactions really do matter. Now I have no doubt that Job would have gladly suffered for God if he had just been told the effect that his faithfulness was having in heaven. But you see, Job never got a hint. Understand, Job's greatest grief, it wasn't caused by his material losses or even the boils on his body. Job's most excruciating pain was not knowing why. I've found that the best pain reliever by far, it isn't Advil or Tylenol or Tylenol III or even dimmerol. It's an explanation. You see, if there's a good reason behind my suffering, then I tend to rise to the occasion. But how do you respond when God refuses to give you a reason? I mean, it's like going to the doctor to get a shot. I don't like shots. But if I'm told the reason for the shot, I can accept it and endure it and maybe even be thankful for it. But what if I'm given a series of shots without being told their reason? Well, trust me, I won't be as tolerant. In fact, I'm gonna get down right ugly. I'm gonna get upset. I'm gonna start pounding my fist down on the counter and demanding no why. And this is exactly what Job begins to do. He begins to pound his fist. And over the course of his dialogue with his three friends, Job begins to demand more and more and more to know why. In fact, in Job 7, verse 11, Job even grows bitter. He moans these words, I will not restrain my mouth. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. It's interesting the word complain occurs more times in Job than any other book of the Bible. Did you know that nearly half of the complaints recorded in scripture fall from the lips of this one man, Job? Oh, we speak of the patience of Job, but the person with the real patience in this story was God. For God was the one who had to put up with Job spewing bitterness. You see, here's what happens. Job loses perspective. And my friends, it's easy to do. He forgets who God is. His righteousness, His holiness, His justice. Job grows bold and brash as he questions God in Job's mind in his own estimation. Job becomes bigger and bigger and bigger and God starts shrinking and becomes smaller and smaller and smaller. It's been said in asking why Job loses his way. By the time we get to our text, that verse that I read earlier, chapter 31 verse 35, Job believes that God owes him an answer. In fact, he demands it in writing. He says, oh, that the Almighty would answer me that my prosecutor had written a book. God, I want a reason and I want it in print. Arrogance has replaced Job's innocence. You see, Job has become so sure of himself that he started to doubt God. And at one point in his dialogue with his friends, Job basically makes this statement. If my only options are I have sinned or God has failed, then God has failed for I certainly haven't sinned. Job, who do you think you are? Job comes perilously close to blasphemy. In his commentary on Job, author Don Baker, he makes this point about pain. Pain speaks a strange language. It plays funny tricks on us. It makes us think things, say things, even believe things that are not true. When pain bores its way through human flesh and into the human spirit and then just sits there and hurts and hurts, the mind becomes clouded and the brain begins to think strange thoughts like God is dead or he's gone fishing or he just doesn't care. And you see, pain was having this kind of an effect on Job. Toward the end of Job's discourses, he starts challenging God to speak. He charges God with giving him a raw deal. He accuses God of being unfair in his attempts to vindicate himself. Job accuses God. Job is more into proving his own innocence than he is in upholding God's justice. In short, Job cops an attitude. You see, some situations have reasons that will only make sense in heaven. Today we live a very temporal earthbound existence and that is why it is wrong from our limited perspective to question or to criticize an eternal God. We're told in Deuteronomy 29, verse 29, the secret things belong into the Lord our God. Never forget one of the first rules of theology where God is placed a period, don't you change it to a question mark. If God doesn't offer you an explanation, learn to live without one. Don't push it. Ultimatums don't work on God. Trust in his wisdom. Here's the big question for you and I this morning. Can you trust God even when you can't trace him? Oh, it's easy to see God's hand at work, see God's blessings on our lives when we can see his hand at work, when we can see the lessons he's teaching us. Oh, that's great when what God is doing is tangible. But is our faith alive enough to survive in the dark when we don't see those things? Did you hear about the four passengers on the train from Los Angeles to San Francisco? All four riders were seated there in the same compartment. There was a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. There was a San Francisco Giants fan. There was a gorgeous young lady and there was an elderly woman. Well, everyone was being very nice, very cordial to each other until they passed through a long, dark tunnel. Suddenly, there was a loud kiss followed by an equally loud slap. When the train exited the tunnel, each passenger sort of sat there quietly. They were trying to interpret what the noise is meant. Well, the beautiful woman, she thought, isn't that odd? A Giants fan tries to kiss that elderly woman and not me. The elderly lady, she thought, my, that young girl, she has some fine morals. The San Francisco fan, he thought, and that Dodger fan, he's a smart guy. He steals a kiss and I get slapped. Well, the LA fan, he sat there gloating. He said, perfect. I kissed the back of my hand, slap a Giants fan and nobody ever knows. The moral of the story, sometimes things happen in the dark. And God chooses not to reveal his specific reasons. And listen, if we're not careful, we can draw the wrong conclusions, can't we? Reminds me of the little boy who was scared of the dark. Late one night, his mother asked him to fetch the broom off the back porch. He balked, he said, but mom, it's dark out there. Oh, his mom told him, he said, honey, don't worry, Jesus is always with you. He's with you wherever you go, even when you're in the dark. Little guy walked to the back door, he cracked it open just a fraction and then he shouted out, hey, Jesus, if you're out there, how about handing me that broom? Realized, God wants us all to learn that wherever we go, that when we're with Jesus, we're never in the dark, even in the dark places. Even in those dark places, Jesus is with us. Well, how do you react when circumstances occur? You don't deserve. Have you grown bitter? Have you become angry? Have you been demanding an explanation? Is your name Job? Well, let me show you how God finally responds to Job. In chapter 38, God appears to Job, but not to answer his questions. Oh, no, God takes a most unusual tactic. It's not what you would expect. He comes to Job asking questions, not answering them. And for five chapters, God asked Job a series of questions he can't possibly answer. A total of 70 unanswerable questions. You see, the Almighty is about to show his servant, Job, that he doesn't know as much as he thinks he does. It's time for God to put Job back in his place. God appears to Job in the whirlwind and he says in verses two and three, who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Or who is this I've been listening to who doesn't know what he's talking about? Now prepare yourself like a man. I will question you and you will answer me. It's time for Job to eat some humble pie. God is about to remind Job that you spell the word God, G-O-D, not J-O-B. In verse four, God begins his quiz. He says, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Now, I mean, Job has been instructing God on how to run the universe. But here God makes it clear that he doesn't really need Job's help. He was doing fine long before Job came along. God asked Job, tell me if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know God even becomes sarcastic. In essence, he's saying, okay, Job, when I stretched out the tape to measure the universe, was it you on the other end? I don't think so. You see, throughout this book, Job's incessant questioning of God's wisdom implied that he could do a better job of running the universe than God. But could he? Hey, can you? On and on, these questions continue. God keeps firing queries at Job that he has no way to answer. You know, it's interesting as Job had questioned God on Job's estimation. He had grown larger and larger and God had gotten smaller and smaller. Now when the roles are reversed and God is the one questioning Job, suddenly now in Job's thinking, it's God who's becoming larger and larger again. And it's Job who's becoming smaller and smaller and smaller. Job is getting taken down a notch or two. He's getting whittled down the sides. Up against God's infinite wisdom, the finite Job knows very little. What right does he have to question or criticize the Almighty? Who does this Job think that he is? I mean, what if I were out playing golf with Phil Mickelson? One of the greatest golfers to ever swing a stick. I mean, what right would I have to start giving Phil pointers? Now come on, Phil. Hey, let Sandy help you with your swing. Who's kidding who? But Job is just as arrogant. He's been trying to coach God on how to run the universe. Who in the world does Job think he is? You see, Job has gotten way out of line. Here's a great quote for you. If there's anything a sufferer needs, it's not an explanation, but a fresh new look at God. You see, we think we need an answer that will never be satisfied until we know why. But what we really need is a vision of God. For when God appears, the reason for the trial no longer matters. All that really matters is God. See, Job thinks he's learned his lesson. Listen to his reply to God in chapter 40, verse four. He says, behold, I am vile. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer. Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further. Now at first it may seem as if Job has gotten the message, but I don't think so. Here's what's happened. Job has gone from pounding to now pouting. He's gone from beating his fist to now sticking out his lip. In essence, he's saying, okay, God, you win. You've made your point. I'm just gonna shut up and serve you from now on. Hey, Job agrees to serve the Lord. But you can bet from now on, he's gonna serve God with a grudge. Let me ask you, do you know anybody who's been serving God with a grudge? You see, Job has accepted God's sovereignty for he has no other choice, but he doesn't really like it. Realize, God doesn't want us to pound or pound. There is a third option. We can praise him for who he is. Come what may. God wants us to embrace his sovereignty with a loving, trusting wholeheartedness. Hey, you can say lovingly, Lord, that will be done. Or you can say begrudgingly, all right then, God, have it your way. And here, Job is doing the latter. He's giving in because he has no other choice and God is not through correcting his attitude. Again, God comes to Job and the world win. And in chapter 40, verse seven, he says, now prepare yourself like a man. I will question you and you shall answer me. God didn't like the first set of answers he got from Job and so now he's got some more questions. And in chapter 40, God points to two enormous animals, powerful animals, the behemoth and the leviathan. And he asked Job if he can even contain these animals, let alone create them. Job seems pretty puny when pitted up against these forces of nature. You see, God is relentless in his humbling of Job for he is after in Job what he wants in us, not reluctance, but repentance. God wants Job as well as you and me to rejoice in his sovereignty, to worship him despite our situation. God wants us to acknowledge that he not only runs the universe, but he runs our lives and he's better at it than we are. God does all things well all of the time. You know today, when a church builds a sanctuary, the architect is careful to optimize the sight lines so that it doesn't matter where you're sitting in the room, you can see all that's going on up front that there's not a bad view in the house. But the Reformation architects of the great cathedrals in Europe, they had the opposite idea. For they deliberately created worship venues where your view was blocked. Wherever you sat, you were blocked by some obstruction so that you couldn't see everything that was going on. And it was a reminder to the worshiper that some truths about God are hidden, that no one knows all there is to know about God. We all worship him from a limited vantage point. Well, Job finally realizes this truth in chapter 42, this time when Job answers God, he gets it right. He says, I know that you can do everything and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you. You ask who is this who hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen please and let me speak. You said I will question you and you shall answer me. I've heard of you by the hearing of the ear but now my eye sees you. Therefore, I have whored myself and repent in dust and ashes. Obviously, Job has had a change of attitude. Listen, Job never did learn why, but he learned something much more important. He learned who. And when you know who, you don't really need to know why. Hey, there are people I know whose chief ambitions in getting to heaven are to get answers to their questions. Oh, and I'm sure they'll get their answers, but I'm just as certain that in heaven, their answers won't be nearly as important as they thought. For when we see the beauties and the glories of our Lord Jesus, all of our perplexities, all of our questions will be overshadowed. In the end, the who will swallow up all of the wise. Following the difficult days of World War II, King George VI of England, he made a statement to his countrymen about the uncertainties of the coming new year. I said to the man at the gate of the year, give me a light that I may walk safely into the unknown. Oh, but he said to me, go out into the darkness and put your hand in the hand of God and it shall be to you better than the light and safer than the known. Imagine that, the hand of God, better than the light, safer than the known. Do you believe that? You see, some of us are walking out into uncertain futures and we've been questioning God. Don't you think a better approach is to just grip his hand a little tighter? Once it was an old man who was walking with his grandson when he asked the boy, he said, son, do you know where you are? Little guy said, grandpa, no, I don't. He said, son, do you know how far you are from home? No, sir. Well, son, it sounds like to me you're lost. Little boy just grinned. He said, nope, grandpa, I can't be lost. Grandpa asked, he said, why are you so sure? The little guy replied, I can't be lost because I'm with you. And you see, that's what God wants us to learn. That even when we don't understand, even when we have no explanation, we are never lost when we're with God. He can be trusted. Well, how do you cope with the poison ivy in your life? Here's what Job would tell us. God is sovereign. Hey, God is a big God. He takes orders from no one. He does as he pleases without getting our permission or giving us an explanation. That's why we need to turn off our complaints and our doubts and our questions and we need to turn on our praise for God is worthy to be worshiped. Love God. Don't fight Him. Trust God. Don't question Him. You see, real faith doesn't need to know why when it's certain of who. Always remember this statement. What's over my head is still under God's feet. Can you say it with me? What's over my head is still under God's feet. That was really weak. Pastor David would be embarrassed by that. Would you say it with me again this time, like you mean it? On the count of one, three, two, one, ready? Three, two, one. What's over my head is still under God's feet. God loves you so much. He really does. In fact, God is so proud of you that He has staked His honor on your reactions. Imagine this with me. God believes that your response to difficulty is gonna bring Him glory.