step one: being overwhelmed....
we get a problem, something that we cannot fix... and we become quickly overwhelmed... we don't want to pray... we don't want to praise... we want to lay down and die... feeling sorry for ourselves... we could die because we cannot see the light that is supposed to be at the end of the tunnel...
Job 17: 10-16 "Maybe you'd all like to start over, to try it again, the bunch of you.So far I haven't come across one scrap of wisdom in anything you've said.My life's about over. All my plans are smashed, all my hopes are snuffed out—My hope that night would turn into day, my hope that dawn was about to break.If all I have to look forward to is a home in the graveyard, if my only hope for comfort is a well-built coffin,If a family reunion means going six feet under, and the only family that shows up is worms,Do you call that hope? Who on earth could find any hope in that?No. If hope and I are to be buried together, I suppose you'll all come to the double funeral!"
step 2: God speaks...
God gets tired of us feeling sorry for ourselves and steps in asking us... who do you think you are? who lied and told you that you were the center of the universe??? I AM... IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE... God speaks from the eye of the storm... He doesn't wait until the storm has passed and you are feeling a little better... no, He gets on you while the storm is raging... He wants to know exactly who do you think you are and what is it that you think you can do in your own power?? And He will leave you to your own power if you think you have some...
Job 40: 6-7 God addressed Job next from the eye of the storm, and this is what he said: "I have some more questions for you, and I want straight answers. 8-14 "Do you presume to tell me what I'm doing wrong? Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint?Do you have an arm like my arm? Can you shout in thunder the way I can?Go ahead, show your stuff. Let's see what you're made of, what you can do.Unleash your outrage. Target the arrogant and lay them flat.Target the arrogant and bring them to their knees. Stop the wicked in their tracks—make mincemeat of them!Dig a mass grave and dump them in it— faceless corpses in an unmarked grave.I'll gladly step aside and hand things over to you— you can surely save yourself with no help from me!
step 3: reality check...
reality sets in and we realize that I can do nothing without God... I cannot change anything... I cannot control anything... I have screwed things up by putting my hands in it... we ask forgiveness from the only one who can truly give forgiveness... the only one who really loves us in spite of who we are... family can love us somewhat... but even they have the tendency to judge us and look down on us at times... only God's love is complete and satisfying... only God's love is truly unconditional...
Job 42: 1-6 Job answered God: "I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans.You asked, 'Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?'I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head.You told me, 'Listen, and let me do the talking. Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.'I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!I'm sorry—forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise! I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor."
step 4: God's forgiveness and restoration...
forgiveness is not only for God to give to us... we must also forgive those who have wronged us... whether intentional or not... how can we receive what we will not give? how can we receive what we will not accept? some people can accept God's forgiveness, but will not give forgiveness to someone else... the bible says that God forgives us as we forgive one another... some of us cannot accept God's forgiveness of us and we cannot forgive ourselves... we need to learn that the past is the past, but all things work together for the good of those who love God... we are to take the lesson, learn from it and move forward into the future that God has planned for us... sometimes the pain that we receive comes from the hand of God... does that change anything? no... we are to keep on doing right and know that when He is ready, He will give us full restoration and double for your trouble... you may never receive double in the financial realm... but double or even single restoration in the spiritual realm is worth more than finances ever could be... relationship with God and peace and joy is worth more than all the money in the world... God is all we really need... if God were to remove all the people in your life... if He were to take all the money in your account... do you trust that He will still carry you? if you do not... then what do you really have? you have nothing.. all there really is to carry you through from day to day is faith in God's love... people will come and go... money will come and go... health will come and go... but if you don't have God... where will you go? will God say well done my good and faithful servant or will He say he has never known you... restore your relationship with God and allow Him to guide your life today... and always...
Job 42: 10-11 After Job had interceded for his friends, God restored his fortune—and then doubled it! All his brothers and sisters and friends came to his house and celebrated. They told him how sorry they were, and consoled him for all the trouble God had brought him. Each of them brought generous housewarming gifts. 12-15 God blessed Job's later life even more than his earlier life. He ended up with fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand teams of oxen, and one thousand donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first daughter Dove, the second, Cinnamon, and the third, Darkeyes. There was not a woman in that country as beautiful as Job's daughters. Their father treated them as equals with their brothers, providing the same inheritance. 16-17 Job lived on another 140 years, living to see his children and grandchildren—four generations of them! Then he died—an old man, a full life.
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