THE CRY FOR A REASON IN SUFFERING

JOB 14: 7-14
7 “For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And its shoots will not fail.
8 “Though its roots grow old in the ground And its stump dies in the dry soil,
9 At the scent of water it will flourish And put forth sprigs like a plant.
10 “But man dies and lies prostrate. Man expires, and where is he?
11 “As water evaporates from the sea, And a river becomes parched and dried up,
12 So man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no longer, He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.
13 “Oh that You would hide me in Sheol, That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You, That You would set a limit for me and remember me!
14 “If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait Until my change comes.

JOB 38
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2 “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
3 “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,
5 Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?
6 “On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
9 When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors,
11 And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop’?
12 “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 “It is changed like clay under the seal; And they stand forth like a garment.
15 “From the wicked their light is withheld, And the uplifted arm is broken.
16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea Or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 “Have the gates of death been revealed to you, Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18 “Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to its territory And that you may discern the paths to its home?
21 “You know, for you were born then, And the number of your days is great!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 Which I have reserved for the time of distress, For the day of war and battle?
24 “Where is the way that the light is divided, Or the east wind scattered on the earth?
25 “Who has cleft a channel for the flood, Or a way for the thunderbolt,
26 To bring rain on a land without people, On a desert without a man in it,
27 To satisfy the waste and desolate land And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?
28 “Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 “From whose womb has come the ice? And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30 “Water becomes hard like stone, And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.
31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the cords of Orion?
32 “Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, And guide the Bear with her satellites?
33 “Do you know the ordinances of the heavens, Or fix their rule over the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, So that an abundance of water will cover you?
35 “Can you send forth lightnings that they may go And say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 “Who has put wisdom in the innermost being Or given understanding to the mind?
37 “Who can count the clouds by wisdom, Or tip the water jars of the heavens,
38 When the dust hardens into a mass And the clods stick together?
39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they crouch in their dens And lie in wait in their lair?
41 “Who prepares for the raven its nourishment When its young cry to God And wander about without food?

JOB 39
1 “Do you know the time the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the deer?
2 “Can you count the months they fulfill, Or do you know the time they give birth?
3 “They kneel down, they bring forth their young, They get rid of their labor pains.
4 “Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field; They leave and do not return to them.
5 “Who sent out the wild donkey free? And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 To whom I gave the wilderness for a home And the salt land for his dwelling place?
7 “He scorns the tumult of the city, The shoutings of the driver he does not hear.
8 “He explores the mountains for his pasture And searches after every green thing.
9 “Will the wild ox consent to serve you, Or will he spend the night at your manger?
10 “Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with ropes, Or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11 “Will you trust him because his strength is great And leave your labor to him?
12 “Will you have faith in him that he will return your grain And gather it from your threshing floor?
13 “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously With the pinion and plumage of love,
14 For she abandons her eggs to the earth And warms them in the dust,
15 And she forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild beast may trample them.
16 “She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers; Though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned;
17 Because God has made her forget wisdom, And has not given her a share of understanding.
18 “When she lifts herself on high, She laughs at the horse and his rider.
19 “Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 “Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrible.
21 “He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He goes out to meet the weapons.
22 “He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; And he does not turn back from the sword.
23 “The quiver rattles against him, The flashing spear and javelin.
24 “With shaking and rage he races over the ground, And he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet.
25 “As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’ And he scents the battle from afar, And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south?
27 “Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up And makes his nest on high?
28 “On the cliff he dwells and lodges, Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place.
29 “From there he spies out food; His eyes see it from afar.
30 “His young ones also suck up blood; And where the slain are, there is he.”

1 TIMOTHY 2:5-6
5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

THE CRY TO FEEL MY FAITH

PSALMS 119: 145-152
145 I cried with all my heart; answer me, O LORD! I will observe Your statutes.
146 I cried to You; save me And I shall keep Your testimonies.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.
148 My eyes anticipate the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.
149 Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your ordinances.
150 Those who follow after wickedness draw near; They are far from Your law.
151 You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.
152 Of old I have known from Your testimonies That You have founded them forever.

PROVERBS 4:20-23
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body.
23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
26 Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established.
27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.

THE CRY TO KNOW GOD

EXODUS 33: 18-23
18 Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”
19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”
20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”
21 Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;
22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
23 “Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

2 CHRONICLES 20: 6-12
6 and he said, “O LORD, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.
7 “Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?
8 “They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name, saying,
9 ‘Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.’
10 “Now behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (they turned aside from them and did not destroy them),
11 see how they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance.
12 “O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

2 CHRONICLES 20: 15-17
15 and he said, “Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.
16 ‘Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 ‘You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you.”

WHEN YOU ARE UP AGAINST THE IMPOSSIBLE

MARK 9:14-29

Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit

14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them.
15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.
17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.
18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered.
22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”