Prayer when we can’t see God

Job’s Story

[READ] Job 1:6–22 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. Now there was a day when his sons and daug…”

To make light of it a little, the writer of Job wants to make sure you’re sure Job is having the absolute worst possible day in human history…

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst She followed that book with, Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days

Having a Bad Day Meme [SLIDES]

You have likely had worse problems to face in your life than bad hair, a bad boss, or spilled Chick-fil-a (although that is terrible)!

When tragedy strikes our lives, what is the question everyone wants an answer to…. WHY GOD?!?

Why that diagnosis?

Why that loss?

Why the hurt & pain?

Why??

We want answers because we can’t imagine what we’ve done to deserve such treatment. Or why God didn’t stop it!

Psalm 10:1 “Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

Psalm 22:1–2 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.”

Matthew 27:46 “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried …“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?””

Theodicy: If God is so loving, why do bad things happen to good people?

Job (and his friends) asks that questions and spend 34 chapters trying to explain WHY bad things happen to good people. But God doesn’t answer that questions. Instead he asks Job two questions…

Where were you when I ordered the world with all its great complexity?

Can you trust my loving hands, even when you can’t see them or understand?

…in other words….

[New Slide] Can you still worship in the middle of your ashes?

In the darkest moments of our lives, PRAYER draws us close to the only one who can deliver us through the storm.

That’s not to say God is somehow causing us pain….

Principle: Tragedy reminds us that there is only one HOPE in our life (in good or bad tines). His name is Jesus!

The agenda of Satan (the accuser in Hebrew) is to SILENCE your prayer/worship.

If Satan can silence your prayer, he can steal your praise. If he can steal your praise he can pull us out of the presence of God and convince us we are orphans, when God tells us we are sons and daughters.

Zechariah 3:1 “Then [the Spirit] showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.”

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Here’s that danger. In seasons of great trial and tragedy, Satan comes to SILENCE our prayers and ISOLATE us away from God’s presence.

ISOLATION —-> BITTERNESS —-> FEEDS FEAR —-> FEAR DESTROYS OUR LIVES & THOSE AROUND US

The Lies that Silence our Prayers

God does not hear my prayers.

1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.””

God is punishing me for my sin and failure.

The whole book of Job dispels this myth. Job didn’t do anything wrong!

When you allow this myth to enter your prayers you give in to a performance mentality…you begin to believe Grace is something you earn.

I’m not praying hard enough.

Prayer is not about getting God’s attention…its about repositioning our heart, ears, and eyes to experience the presence of God.

My prayers aren’t good enough.

Prayer is not about good or bad, it’s about surrounding yourself with the presence of Jesus.

Pentecostals often over-complicate prayer…lots of words we have to say…sometimes the best thing to do is pray the prayers God has given us (the Psalms, Lord’s prayer, even prayers from other saints before us). Then let the prayers do the work.

We tend to collapse Job’s story into a story about Prosperity

First 3 verses of Job: seven sons and three daughters. 3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east

Last 7 verses of Job: And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before

But the message of Job to us is not all the “stuff” Job had or what was restored….the message is this:

God’s loving faithfulness NEVER FAILS.

So…Just Pray:

Remember this: Your prayers are doing the work even when you don’t feel like its making a difference.

How do I know that?

Because prayer is about faithfulness, not about performance.

Because the same faith that was in you before the storm is in you now.

Mark 11:23 “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes (has faith) that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.”

Four thoughts from Job’s Very Bad, Dark, Terrible, Horrible Day

1. Angry prayers are okay. God is patience and listening.

2. During tragedy, the voices in your life matter.

3. Prayer is an invitation to know God more, not a promise of answers.

4. Nothing can separate you from the love of your heavenly father.

He was BEFORE, in the BEGINNING, THROUGH the storm, and will be with you to the END.