1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters 3 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. 4 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 1: I'm John Stangey, and today we're in Job chapter three, 5 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the message. Then Job broke 6 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: the silence. He spoke up and cursed his fate. Obliterate 7 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: the day I was born, blank out the night I 8 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: was conceived. Let it be a black hole in space. 9 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: May God above forget it ever happened, Erase it from 10 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,559 Speaker 1: the books. May the day of my birth be buried 11 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: in deep darkness, shrouded by the fog, swallowed by the night. 12 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: And the night of my conception the devil take it. 13 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 1: Rip the date off the calendar, delete it from the almanac. Oh, 14 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 1: turn that night into pure nutby thingness. No sounds of 15 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: pleasure from that night ever. May those who are good 16 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 1: at cursing curse that day. Unleash the sea beast Leviathan 17 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: on it. May its morning stars turn to black cinders, 18 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: waiting for a daylight that never comes, never once seeing 19 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: the first light of dawn. And why because it released 20 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: me from my mother's womb into a life with so 21 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:31,639 Speaker 1: much trouble. Why didn't I die at birth, my first breath, 22 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: out of my mother's womb, my last? Why were their 23 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: arms to rock me and breasts for me to drink from. 24 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: I could be resting in peace right now, asleep, forever 25 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: feeling no pain, in the company of kings and statesmen 26 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: in their royal ruins, or with princes resplendent in their 27 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: gold and silver tombs. Why wasn't I stillborn and buried 28 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: with all the babies who never saw light? Where the 29 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: wicked no longer trouble anyone, and bone weary people get 30 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 1: a long deserved rest. Prisoners sleep undisturbed, never again to 31 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,080 Speaker 1: wake up to the bark of their guards. The small 32 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,079 Speaker 1: and the great are equals in that place, and slaves 33 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:20,359 Speaker 1: are free from their masters. Why does God bother giving 34 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: light to the miserable? Why bother keeping bitter people alive? 35 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: Those who want in the worst way to die and can't, 36 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: who can't imagine anything better than death, who count the 37 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: day of their death and burial the happiest day of 38 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 1: their life. What's the point of life when it doesn't 39 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,799 Speaker 1: make sense? When God blocks all the roads to meaning. 40 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: Instead of bread, I get groans, for my supper. Then 41 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: leave the table and vomit my anguish. The worst of 42 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: my fears has come true. What I've dreaded most has happened. 43 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: My repose is shattered, my peace destroyed. No rest for 44 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: me ever, Death has invaded life. Let's pray. Lord, We 45 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: thank you for your word, and we thank you for 46 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: the privilege of being able to look at such a 47 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: heavy portion of scripture today as Job pours out his 48 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: heart in grief and Lord, there are many of us 49 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 1: who can look at this passage of scripture and identify 50 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: with all the things that Job is saying here. There's 51 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 1: probably hardly an adult on this earth who hasn't thought 52 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: about the weight of their burdens and how they feel 53 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 1: crushed by them, and have maybe been so filled with 54 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: sorrow that they've wished to die. Lord, I can testify, 55 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: and you already know that that's a spot that I 56 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: have experienced, and I'm sure that there are many people 57 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: praying along with me today that have wrestled with that 58 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: as well, at different seasons of life, thinking how much 59 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: better it would be to just be in your presence 60 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: and to have our time on this earth cut short. 61 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: But Lord, tell us in your word, that all the 62 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: days ordained for us were written in your book before 63 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 1: one of them came to be, and there's not a 64 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: single day that you choose to bless us with that 65 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: you don't have a purpose for us in the midst 66 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 1: of Lord, the reason we're here today is to glorify 67 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: you and to serve as a living testimony of your 68 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:22,719 Speaker 1: goodness toward us, to help others come to know your son, 69 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, our rescuer, our redeemer, our Savior, our Messiah 70 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: who gives us hope beyond the struggles of this world. Lord, 71 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: in the midst of our seasons of discouragement or despair, 72 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,719 Speaker 1: help us to remember these things, help us to feel 73 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: comfortable to bear our souls to you, to lift our 74 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: burdens up to you, and to recognize that you're the 75 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 1: source of our peace and solace and you're the one 76 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: that gives rest to our souls. Lord, Thank you for 77 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:53,480 Speaker 1: your love, thank you for your patience toward us. And 78 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: we pray that in the midst of everything we're currently 79 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:58,479 Speaker 1: dealing with and everything that may come, that we would 80 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 1: be reminded of the fact that you are with us 81 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: in it all, and you have a purpose for our struggles, 82 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,159 Speaker 1: and it's to draw us close to you, to build 83 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: us up in our faith, and to help us serve 84 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 1: as a testimony to others that they would come to 85 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 1: know you and that you would be glorified. We love you, Lord, 86 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: We thank you for all of these things, and we 87 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:19,479 Speaker 1: pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.