Faith in the Fire – Man as Provider
“Today also my complaint is bitter; my hand is heavy on account of my groaning. Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! … Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” - Job 23:2-3, 8-10 ESV
In Never Surrender and during men’s conferences, I share some of my gut-honest struggles with God over tragedies faced on the battlefield. After losing 16 brave men during the Battle of Mogadishu (a.k.a. “Black Hawk Down”), I was broken with grief, but it gave way to anger:
Where were You! I prayed. Why did you let these men down? Why did you abandon us? … I came to a conclusion that hollowed me out inside. If God was real, He would have heard my prayers. If God was real, He wouldn't have let these good men die. For twenty-three years I have been living a lie, I thought. There is no God. … At the moment I sat on my bunk and denied God, I heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart, saying, If there is no God there is no hope. I didn't like what had happened. I hated what had happened. But I could not justify praising him for miracles then denying him in tragedy.[1]
At that moment, I repented of what I had said, God forgave me, and He reminded me of a Scripture that gave me assurance about my men. I endured feeling forsaken by God; I even denied Him, and yet, God graciously revealed Himself and restored me to fellowship with Him. My objective in sharing my own struggles with God is to help provide an example of how God responded to me even when I turned my guns on Him and opened fire with some harsh words.
In these verses, we find Job complaining in the midst of his suffering. I have learned in my years of walking with God that He can handle our complaints. He can handle our doubts, our disappointments, and even our denials. Yes, He can even handle our anger. He can handle everything we throw at Him. See, even when we express our exasperation with God for what we perceive is His inaction, even when we rage at God for some perceived injustice, that is a backhanded expression of our faith in Him. In fact, He patiently responds to all of our rants with grace and mercy. So, don’t stop crying out to God, even though He seems absent when you need Him most.
In fact, at this point in his suffering, Job looked everywhere for God but couldn’t find Him. He felt abandoned by God. Be honest: all of us have experienced that feeling at some point. Yet, we need to come to the conclusion Job did here in verse 10 about God: “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” Here are five things Job understood about God’s sovereignty over his suffering that we need to understand and that provide perspective to those we lead:
[1] LTG (Ret.) William G. Boykin, Never Surrender: A Soldier’s Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom (New York: FaithWords, 2008), 279-80.
“Today also my complaint is bitter; my hand is heavy on account of my groaning. Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! … Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” - Job 23:2-3, 8-10 ESV
In Never Surrender and during men’s conferences, I share some of my gut-honest struggles with God over tragedies faced on the battlefield. After losing 16 brave men during the Battle of Mogadishu (a.k.a. “Black Hawk Down”), I was broken with grief, but it gave way to anger:
Where were You! I prayed. Why did you let these men down? Why did you abandon us? … I came to a conclusion that hollowed me out inside. If God was real, He would have heard my prayers. If God was real, He wouldn't have let these good men die. For twenty-three years I have been living a lie, I thought. There is no God. … At the moment I sat on my bunk and denied God, I heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart, saying, If there is no God there is no hope. I didn't like what had happened. I hated what had happened. But I could not justify praising him for miracles then denying him in tragedy.[1]
At that moment, I repented of what I had said, God forgave me, and He reminded me of a Scripture that gave me assurance about my men. I endured feeling forsaken by God; I even denied Him, and yet, God graciously revealed Himself and restored me to fellowship with Him. My objective in sharing my own struggles with God is to help provide an example of how God responded to me even when I turned my guns on Him and opened fire with some harsh words.
In these verses, we find Job complaining in the midst of his suffering. I have learned in my years of walking with God that He can handle our complaints. He can handle our doubts, our disappointments, and even our denials. Yes, He can even handle our anger. He can handle everything we throw at Him. See, even when we express our exasperation with God for what we perceive is His inaction, even when we rage at God for some perceived injustice, that is a backhanded expression of our faith in Him. In fact, He patiently responds to all of our rants with grace and mercy. So, don’t stop crying out to God, even though He seems absent when you need Him most.
In fact, at this point in his suffering, Job looked everywhere for God but couldn’t find Him. He felt abandoned by God. Be honest: all of us have experienced that feeling at some point. Yet, we need to come to the conclusion Job did here in verse 10 about God: “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” Here are five things Job understood about God’s sovereignty over his suffering that we need to understand and that provide perspective to those we lead:
- God was very much aware of Job’s suffering and had not forgotten him: “He knows the way that I take.” God knows what we’re going through, especially when we are hurting.
- God had a purpose for Job’s suffering, and the purpose was not to punish Job, but to test and refine him: “when He has tried me.” God has a purpose for our suffering. Seek to grasp it.
- God would one day bring the testing to an end: “I shall come out....” God will bring an end to our trials and suffering. If not here, then in the hereafter.
- God would bring something good from it all: “I shall come out as gold.” God promises to bring good out of suffering, which is an important perspective for us to provide (see Isa. 61:3, Rom. 8:28).
- God valued Job; only precious metal is put through the fire to refine it: “as gold.” God values us; we are precious to Him. Job was confident that God was doing something through his suffering that would make him a better man in the end. Job’s confidence in the crucible must become our own, and we need to provide that perspective to those who look to us.
- When trials trouble you, challenges crush you, and disappointment debilitates you, do you cry out to God? Remember, He can handle your complaints.
- How are you intentionally using your own struggles with God to provide perspective for your family and friends?
- Ask God for His perspective on your suffering and for His help in providing that perspective to those you love and lead.
[1] LTG (Ret.) William G. Boykin, Never Surrender: A Soldier’s Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom (New York: FaithWords, 2008), 279-80.