Dark Clouds

Job 17

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My days are past,

My purposes are broken off,

Even the thoughts of my heart.

12 They change the night into day:

The light is short because of darkness.

13 If I wait, the grave is mine house:

I have made my bed in the darkness.

14 I have said to corruption, Thou art my father:

To the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.

15 And where is now my hope?

As for my hope, who shall see it?

16 They shall go down to the bars of the pit,

When our rest together is in the dust.

Job 17:11-16

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Chapter 17 is void of hope. Don't despair and quit reading though, we are going to show a silver lining. However, chapters like this are important in the Bible because they are real. There are times when this is exactly how life feels. If the Bible never addressed these seasons of our life, there would be a disconnect and we would not have a guide during our seasons of darkness.

There was a season of my life where I felt like Job. Days were hopeless and the only relief from the emotional turmoil was sleep. I didn't want to wake up. I prayed for God to just take me home. I know this does not sound like good preacher talk, but we struggle too. The difference is, who does the preacher talk to when he goes through these battles? He does not have a pastor to talk to.

Job is trying to talk to his friend, but they are not listening. They only hear what they want to hear, and anguish is not the message they are getting. What they are hearing is "I am a terrible sinner who has committed an atrocity that I refuse to speak of, but I am going to pretend to be righteous so that you don't know."

So, what do we do when we go through these periods in our lives? The answer is right here in the text; we cry out to God. While Job was talking to his friends, much of what he was saying was actually directed to/at God. It was a plea for mercy and relief. He knew his friends were not listening, and he felt like God was not either. Yet, he kept crying out.

When we go through periods in our lives where we feel hopeless, we must cry out to God as well. He does hear us. We may be like Job and feel like he doesn't, but feelings are not necessarily facts. This is what many of the Psalms do. The writer begins by listing his complaints. Then, before the Psalm is over, he is praising God and his whole attitude has changed. Notice that I said his attitude, not circumstances. Our circumstances do not have to change for us to come out of depression. Actually, they can change and we can stay in depression.

I cried out to God for a long time. My prayers were not for God's will, but I kept crying out. Eventually he brought me out of the depression by placing people in my life who loved me and encouraged me. Actually, the people were there all along, they just ministered to me in a different way. Also, we restored my sense of purpose. He let me know that he was not through with me. It took years for me to really come out of that funk, but God was patient and kept working with me. Now, I am in on of the best places I have ever been. I have some of the best relationships with family that I have ever had. God is loving and kind. He is long-suffering with our struggles.

Job does not see this yet. He is crying out, but he does not feel heard. If you have never read the book of Job, I don't want to spoil it for you, but eventually God does let Job know he hears him. Because of the suffering and pain, Job will experience God in a way that he never could of in his prosperity. The same is true for us when we go through the rainy seasons of our lives. It may seem like the sun will never shine again, but keep calling out to God. He will hear and will do a work that will leave you saying, "That could only have been God."

Father thank you for never giving up on me. When I prayed and had given up, you did not give up on me. Thank you for loving me through my struggles and leading me out of them. I pray that you would help me to live out the purpose you have called me to and if I enter one of those seasons again, help me to keep crying out to you.