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The Bible Breakdown
Job 35: Wait for the Lord
Can patience truly transform your spiritual journey? Discover the profound lessons from Job, chapter 35, where Elihu's lengthy discourse reveals the often-ignored virtue of waiting on the Lord. Pastor Brandon draws an analogy between the excitement of Christmas morning and the spiritual growth that comes from trusting God's timing. This episode explores how patience amidst suffering can create space for divine intervention, leading to remarkable outcomes in our lives. Through Elihu’s critique of Job, we unpack the significance of waiting and trusting in God's wisdom, drawing parallels to our own lives and experiences.
Join us as we delve into the importance of trusting God in prayer with unwavering faith. Reflect on Job 1:21 and learn how to maintain joy and clarity through prayer, even during challenging times. Pastor Brandon shares insights on how overthinking can rob us of peace and emphasizes the power of a prayerful mindset that trusts God's plan. This episode includes a heartfelt prayer of gratitude, encouraging listeners to deepen their faith and connection with God. Equip yourself with the spiritual tools to approach life’s uncertainties with confidence and trust in the divine plan.
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The More You Dig. The More You Find.
Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, job, chapter 35, and today's title is simply Wait for the Lord, wait for the Lord. I have some good news and bad news, and the bad news is Elihu still got a lot to say. He is still a chatterboxin'. But the good news is he's got some good stuff to say too, because, remember, even though knowledge without wisdom is just noise, at the same time he does have knowledge, and when we can put with it the wisdom of God, something beautiful is going to happen and I can't wait to share it with you in just a moment. But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure that you are going to the Bible Breakdown discussion on Facebook, because there are some great devotions that that wonderful team puts out every day.
Speaker 1:And, man, the more we dig, the more we find, and I cannot wait to see what's around the corner every time. We continue to add to God's Word. And I see what we're doing is one brick at a time in a beautiful wall of what God is making in our lives as we continue to read God's Word, you may or may not walk away from Job, chapter 35 with the greatest insight of your life. However, if you continue to stack on top of Job 35 and you're reading God's word and letting God's word continue to move in your life, you are creating this space for God to do something amazing in your life, just like he's doing something amazing in my life when I'm reading God's word and sharing it with you. And that's what it is to do life together in God's word. Well, if you've been with us for a while, you know that the overall theme in Job is trusting God's wisdom in suffering, and today Elihu is going to continue his rant against Job and he's been really critical, but he's going to say something today that is very, very powerful, and it's something that none of us like to do.
Speaker 1:Now let me back up. Some of us may like to do this, but I don't. Okay, and it's the word be patient. I have met very few people that actually say they like to be patient. There are people who say they've got good at it because they've had to, or that they don't mind it, but I've never met anybody yet that says they truly love being told to wait, like they purposely go to the longest line at the grocery store or they tell you know if they go to a restaurant, say, hey, can you serve me last? I don't know any of those people. I know people that will drive around a parking lot for 30 minutes just to get a closer parking spot because they're going to get in and out of the store faster, even though if they just parked and went in they'd already be done. Right, I might have been guilty of that a few times, right, and so we don't want to do that. But sometimes it's exactly what God is doing in our life. And so we're going to read this together and see what God's word has to say about the idea of waiting for the Lord. You ready.
Speaker 1:Job, chapter 35, verse one says this then Elihu said do you think it is right for you to claim I am righteous before God? For you also ask what's in it for me? What's the use of living a righteous life? I will answer you and all your friends to look up into the sky and see the clouds high above you. If you sin, how does that affect God? And if you sin again and again, what effect will it have on him? If you are good. Is this some great gift to him? What can you possibly give him? No, your sins affect only people like yourself and your good deeds only affect humans.
Speaker 1:People cry out and they're oppressed. They groan beneath the power of the mighty, and yet they don't ask where is God, my creator, the one who gives songs in the night, where's the one who makes us smarter than the animals and wiser than the birds of the sky? And when we yet cry out, god does not answer because of their pride. But it is wrong to say God doesn't listen and to say the Almighty isn't concerned. Here's the verse you say you can't see him, but he will bring justice if you will only wait. You say he does not respond to sinners with anger and not greatly concerned about the wicked. But you are talking nonsense, job. You have spoken like a fool. Well, once again there's Oelihu being super bluntly honest. But what he's basically talking about is he's saying when people do things, how's that God's fault, good or bad? And I could contend with him a little bit on that one. But what he's saying is is just because bad things happen and God doesn't immediately do something doesn't mean he's not concerned. It just means you don't see what he's doing yet.
Speaker 1:You're going to have to wait, and you know what it reminds me of is there's so many different parts of our life where we have to wait. It reminds me of Christmas morning, you know, when you're a kid and you have to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait and wait, and on one end you think it's the worst thing in the world to have to wait, only to realize actually it's the waiting that's part of the fun, because it's the anticipation and it's the I wonder what I'm going to get and I wonder what it's going to be like, and I wonder, and I wonder, and I wonder. And then when you get older, and it's not a Christmas morning, but it's something that you already know is going to happen, right? So, like if you're a kid and it's Christmas morning, part of the fun is the mystery. Like I don't know what I'm going to get, but I know it's going to be good, or I hope. But when you get older, you realize that if you're waiting for a vacation and it's somewhere you've been before, so there's no mystery attached to it, but you're having to wait and you're having to wait.
Speaker 1:Part of the enjoyment is the anticipation and what I think Elihu is trying to say is God's like that. But I think Elihu is trying to say is God's like that? God's like that in that the waiting is the worst thing ever unless, instead of waiting, going, god, will you, it becomes God? I can't wait for you, like I can't wait to see what you're going to do. I know you're going to and I can't wait to see how you're going to do that. Can I tell you that might be one of the hardest things in the world to do, but it's beautiful.
Speaker 1:Like when you let's say, let's say you have a situation and just making up one of a million, right, let's say that you have a financial need. You have a financial need in your life. You're having trouble making ends meet. You're doing everything you know to do, you're being faithful, you're giving to the Lord, you're being a good steward, but you're still struggling and you're praying consistently. You're doing everything you know how to do to make things better and you're trusting God to do the things you can't do. And as you are waiting, and one week goes to two, two goes to three. Now you're two or three months in and you're still waiting. You're doing everything and you're still waiting. You're doing everything and you're being faithful.
Speaker 1:You could say God, why don't you God? Why aren't you God, why not me? Or you could say, god, I know that you love me, I know that you are for me, I know that you are doing something that is better than I can see, and so I can't wait to see what you do. I can't wait to see exactly how you turn this thing out, because you might give me a raise. You might give me one of those stories where I just get a check in the mail. You might help me to see that I'm actually spending money in different areas I don't need to, and without having to add any more hours to my schedule or any more concerns because of more pay, I may actually be able to reduce my stress, and that's the way.
Speaker 1:I have no idea how you're going to fix this. What I do know is you are going to help me. I know you are because you're faithful. Isn't that amazing? I think that's what Elihu is trying to say. He's trying to say God will bring justice, if only we will wait.
Speaker 1:So I want to ask you this question how are you at waiting for the Lord? We all are not going to criticize each other at all about waiting in lines or waiting for deadlines and all this kind of stuff, because I don't know anybody who loves that right waiting for deadlines and all this kind of stuff because I don't know anybody who loves that right. But when it comes to waiting on the Lord, do you tend to wait with complaining or wait with great expectation? Can I be honest with you? I struggle with waiting with anxiety. It's not because I don't trust the Lord. I don't trust myself not to mess things up. But here's the greatest news for all of us. This is going to sound harsh, right?
Speaker 1:God factors in our stupidity when he calls us to a task. Let me say that again. God factors in our stupidity. He factors in our gifts, talents, abilities, opportunities, our weaknesses and our flat-out stupidity when he calls us to a task. So here's the thing if he knows that you are not real good at catching hints, then he's not gonna go mad at you. He's not gonna get mad at you if you miss a few hints. He knows you're not good at it. He factors in your weaknesses when he calls you to a task, and so I know that when God is asking me to wait, and I'm feeling anxious because I'm concerned that I might have messed up and that I might have made this longer than needed to be.
Speaker 1:I also remember that God knows that about me, and so in my time of prayer I'll say God, and you know that I'm going to overthink this thing, so I pray that you will help me to have a clear mind and a clear perspective so I don't overthink this thing. So I pray that you will help me to have a clear mind and a clear perspective, so I don't overthink this thing and lose joy, because I trust that you're going to work this thing out in your time and that my stupidity or my greatness is not going to speed up or slow down this process. You got a plan, so I pray you'll help me to have perspective so that I can enjoy the journey. I want to encourage you to try that. Try that when you pray today, whatever it is you may be struggling with, just say God. I pray that you will give me such unwavering confidence that I won't say God, why not God, when will you? But instead, I cannot wait to see the miracle that you make.
Speaker 1:Let's pray together, god. Thank you so much for today. Thank you that you are with us and you are for us. And an opportunity has presented itself today for us to grow. It is to grow in our expectation of you that if we will only wait, we will see the wonders of the Lord. We're thankful for all you're doing and going to do. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen. Amen. What God's Word says in Job 1.21,. After he lost everything he had, job said I came naked from my mother's womb. I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had and the Lord has taken it away. But praise the name of the Lord. Oh, to have that kind of trust in God. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Job, chapter 36.
