Job Chapter 3. Never give up Hope.
After seven days and seven nights of lying in pain Job finally opened his mouth and he cursed the day he was born. He wished life never came to be for then he would be in peace and not pain and suffering. He prefers that he died at birth. He longed to see the end of his life. It's hard for him to even imagine any glimmer of hope in life. All seems dark and gloomy and he wishes for his life to end now.
Job is confused why life continues when things are so miserable. Why does God give life to someone when life is trapped with no peace, no quietness and no rest but only with turmoil?
I get it, but I don't get it. When I face turmoil, I want it to end. If it doesn't then I look forward to the day of Christ's return or for my life to end. I'm not trying to sound hedonistic nor suicidal. I'm just saying I know there's a life after death that will be better than anything we could imagine (for those who are in Christ).
So when things aren't going well on Earth, it's hard not to think about the coming glorious day and it's hard not to long for it or hunger or thirst for it. I get it in that I remember going through such strain in life for 3 years with very little rest in between. I had more than one conversation with God about it, sharing my hatredness and frustration and how I long to leave this earth.
But hope kept me in the game. I get the desire to leave this place, but not to actually end my life. We can't lose hope.
1. God won't give us more than we can handle (I Corinthians 10:13). Knowing this, helps motivate me to hang on and not give up.
2. He will empower us (Ephesians 3:16) and help us be overcomers (John 16:33). He will make us mature and more like him (James 1:4 and 2 Corinthians 3:18).
I haven't suffered like a lot of people have suffered so I can't relate when they have a strong desire to leave this world. I only know that when I was in turmoil for 3 years, I often Expressed hatred toward God and I could see why suicide would be an option for an unbeliever, but deep down inside my heart, I knew I couldn't run from God, suicide was not an option, and even with such little hope that such turmoil would end. Deep down inside I knew I'd be a better person and more mature in Christ if I persevered.
And that's exactly what happened.
So never give up. God is with you. He will give you the power needed to persevere. Seek help if need be, but don't give up hope for life.
This was a sad chapter to read. It reminded me of what Solomon wrote about how all is vanity in the 1st chapter of Ecclesiastes. Job questioned why he had to be alive. He seemed to have reached the end of his rope and didn’t want to go on any longer. He was in misery and suffering from what had happened to him.
I’m reminded of what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:7-11.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.