The Believer's Dark Night of the Soul

Open: It is good to be with you on this beautiful summer Sunday morning, and I am glad God has brought you this way. There are other places to be, but I can’t think of one I would rather be at right now than worshiping together.

Well, we are continuing with our survey of the Book of Job and our theme is Steadfast in the Pursuit of God. This is our third message in this series, and this morning we will look into chapter three where will we encounter principles we need to embrace in order to successfully navigate periods of darkness that we may encounter.

This is important because non-Christian worldviews have a very different perspective on pain and suffering.

The stoic viewpoint can be summed up by stating “what cannot be cured must be endured.” The idea is simply to grit your teeth and bear it, to take the hit and move on. The less emotion displayed the better

The modern secular view, which denies the reality of God, sees suffering as an inconvenience, an interruption of life that simply needs to be eliminated. They believe that science and medicine will remove the suffering, and they attempt to avoid engaging in pain and suffering at all costs

Christianity offers a different view on suffering. The Bible teaches that Pain is not pointless, and Suffering does have purpose.

Let’s look together at our text for this morning:

Over the next moments we are going to look at principles that will help us navigate our own suffering, or help us understand better what someone else is going through with their suffering.

Pain & Suffering will bring pressure on a person’s belief system

Pain & Suffering has an emotional / spiritual aspect

Pain & Suffering is not random: it does have purpose

Pain and Suffering will bring pressure on a person’s belief system (Job 3:4,23)

Explanation: The third chapter of Job is one of the low points of the Bible, and it reflects a departure from the witness Job was declaring earlier (; and 2:10). The words of Job’s lament in this chapter have even led some to question whether it is the same person. The tone and words of the lament are very dark and depressing, and certainly do not lead towards worship or celebration.

What Happened??? When we read Job’s story we pass from the end of Chapter 2 and enter Chapter 3 in the space of mere seconds. Doing so can very easily lead us to miss the passage of time that Job has experienced. While we are not yet going to look at the approach taken by Job’s comforters as they are introduced at the end of chapter two, it is important to note what the text indicated. It says “when they had heard . . . they each came from his own place.” With our modern technology of texting and instant everything we forget that news did not spread as rapidly. Each of the three men lived in different areas and after they heard, they had to make arrangements to meet together, all of which took time. And when they arrived they sat with Job for seven days and seven nights before any conversation started. And, finally, we note that chapter three opens with “after this” which can be another unknown length of time. In short, the time between Job’s words in 2:10 and his words in 3:2 could very easily be several months.

The point is that continual pain and suffering generally has a negative effect on people over time. As an individual suffers, the physical or emotional pain will bring pressure on a person’s belief system. And when life hits us, what’s in us generally comes out

Illustrate: On June 4, 2019, Noa Pothoven, a 17 year old in the Netherlands died. She had requested Euthanasia and under the law was granted access. She chose to die, however, on her own initiative. In her last post on Instagram, we are told that she had written that she had stopped eating and drinking because her suffering was unbearable. "I breathe but no longer live,” she said. What incurable and terminal illness was Noa suffering from? None. She had been raped, which itself is a horrible and traumatic experience, but not an experience that should have resulted in her death. The acceptance and normalization of the Culture of Death prompted her to take this path.

Argument: The length and agony of Job’s suffering had definitely had a negative impact on his belief system. But as we look at where Job struggled, it is very important to notice where he held up. Job is saying he wishes he had never been born, but he never contemplates taking his own life. Job is questioning the WHY of his condition; he is not questioning the reality of the One who was allowing it. In fact, Job saw God as the cause of his suffering - he just wanted to know WHY God was doing it.

Application: Know what you believe and WHY you believe it - before you enter the darkness of pain and suffering. Know what your convictions are and understand the difference between a conviction and a preference. True convictions will assist in decision making when the pressure is intense.

In addition to ensuring our belief system is firmly rooted in biblical convictions, we must also accept the reality of this second principle:

Pain and Suffering have an emotional and spiritual component ()

Explanation: The entirety of this chapter is one long cry. Job is giving expression to his emotions. He begins a long conversation with his three friends by shouting out his frustration with his situation. He does this on more than once, but another example is found at , . We talk about having the patience of Job, but he was not always patient in his suffering. One of his friends even comments on Job’s impatience (). As we continue our survey we will encounter many emotional outpourings and we will see how this affects Job’s spirituality.

Example: The Psalms of Lament comprise the largest topical group in the book

Psalm 13:1–2 ESV

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

“How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?” (Psalm 13:1-2)

“Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing” ()

The entirety of the 88th Psalm is given to a lament of despair and darkness.

And let’s not forget Jesus in the garden when He cried out to the Father in agony, asking if it were possible that the cup would pass from Him (Luke 22:41-44)

While we acknowledge the emotional element of suffering, It is important to note that chapter 3 (along with Job’s other emotional outbursts) are not presented as a model for our behavior. Job was not sinless, and he crossed the line with God on several occasions by attempting to justify his own righteousness by blaming God.

It is important to note that chapter 3 (along with Job’s other emotional outbursts) are not presented as a model for our behavior. Job was not sinless, and he crossed the line with God on several occasions by attempting to justify his own righteousness by blaming God.

While we acknowledge the emotional element of suffering, It is important to note that chapter 3 (along with Job’s other emotional outbursts) are not presented as a model for our behavior. Job was not sinless, and he crossed the line with God on several occasions by attempting to justify his own righteousness by blaming God.

Application: It is right and proper to grieve and cry out to God in the midst of our dark night of the soul. It is not a sin to ask God the reasons for our calamity, even though He may choose not to reveal those reasons at this time.

Pain and Suffering is not random, and it does have purpose ()

Explanation: The book of Job contains some of mankind’s most enduring and troubling questions. We encounter one of these in v. 20. Why indeed is life and light given to a person who has a condition or situation that causes him or her to long for death instead of life?

Job has suffered the loss of all of his possessions, his children, and his health. He was consigned to the ash pit of life, avoided by his brothers and his servants, mocked and ridiculed by children, and tormented by constant pain. In his distress he cries out and questions why he is still living.

But notice that Job is directing his cries and questions to God. Job never gave into the idea that the cosmos is an accident and things just happen for random reasons without purpose. Job did not know the WHY, but he did cling to the WHO.

Argument: In our modern age the problem of pain and suffering is used by skeptics to question the very Existence of God. The argument goes something like this:

If God is All Good, then why does He allow pain and suffering

If God is All powerful, then why doesn’t He remove pain and suffering

If God is all good and all powerful, then why evil?

In reality, Christianity has the most comprehensive answer to the question of evil and suffering. A comparison of Christianity and other worldviews shows the strength of Christianity in the area of pain and suffering

Buddhism declares suffering to be imaginary, so one just accepts the illusion; Christianity declares it is real, and is a product of living in a fallen world

Karma declares pain & suffering are results of sin from a past life so just pay it; Christianity declares that life is not fair, and pain & suffering aren’t our fault

Fatalism declares pain just is; endure what can’t be cured, suffer in silence; Christianity declares P&S to be overwhelming, we can cry out to God for help

Secularism declares pain is pointless, avoid it or eliminate it; Christianity declares there is purpose in the pain, and we can grow through it and bring glory to God

Application: The journey of pain & suffering is never a pleasant or popular. And the longer the journey in the darkness, the easier it becomes to question the goodness of God and give in to depression or despair. While never easy or simplistic, you CAN trust in God’s purpose because it does exist even if it remains unseen to you. So if you don’t know the reason, what do you do? You embrace and cling to the God who loves you. As Pastor David Holwick put it, “God does not always reveal His plans, but He reveals Himself”