When Life is Not Worth Living

And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die. Job 2:6-9

The value of man is seen in the death of Christ. Yet, myriads of people never realize it. Man is the crown of God’s great creation. What a glorious plan God has for man. But, too many will fail to experience the wonderful eternal goodness of God.

Has life ever been so difficult you made the statement, I wish I had never been born? How many times have you ever thought, or said that? Life can be miserable, folks. We are all living in the Devil’s territory, and he is our worst enemy.

In the Book of Job we see just how miserable life can suddenly be when one day Satan received permission from the Father to test him. At this time Job was a wealthy man, who was greatly respected. But! All of the sudden he lost all that he owned, even his ten children. After this his world fell apart.

Life can suddenly take a turn for the worse with any of us. A marriage can fail for any number of reasons. A career can suddenly end, and work may be difficult to find. Bills can pile up and there is insufficient funds to meet the obligations. Friends, or family members may turn on you and break your heart. Or, death can unexpectedly take the life of someone dear to us bringing great emotional distress.

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 1Peter 1:24

Yes, our lives can change faster than the weather. Our circumstances, and our health can be altered in an instant. Accidents, stroke, heart attacks, cancer, etc.. can, and do happen daily. The only thing man can depend upon is the faithfulness, and love of God.

Uncertainty of Life
A perfect example of things changing instantly can be found when we read of Job’s encounter with Satan. We see a man that the scriptures say was perfect and upright, yet his world fell apart in one short day.

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Job 1:1

Job was a God fearing man. He was also a wealthy man. He had a number of herds, flocks, and servants, and he was blessed with ten children. But we see him lose them all after Satan attacked him. Can you imagine this happening to you? Obviously it would be horrible. But we should remember that at anytime, any one of us could experience this same, or similar thing in our lives.

Most of us have seen hardships in our own life, or the lives of others. Some have lost large sums of money in the financial market from dishonest dealings of others. Some have lost their home due to unemployment, or high mortgage payments. And some have lost their possessions from fire, or hazardous weather conditions.

My friend, you and I just don’t know what God may allow into our lives, or in what form it may come. But! We do know ALL of life is under the sovereign control of an almighty God. As God’s people we should keep in mind he is with us through al of our circumstances: That life is not about me, but about God who made me. We MUST keep the right perspective, and the right attitude when bad things come into our lives.

Understandably, Job was in shock from th awful things that happened in his life from Satan’s attack, but as a child of God his attitude was not as it should have been. His response was to wish he had never been born. Wondering why he hadn’t just died at birth, or why death couldn’t come now. To make matters worse, even his wife turned on him, telling him to curse God and die. And, in the middle of all of his misery his so called friends turned on him, as well. But one thing sustained Job in the middle of all his hurt and pain. His faith in God!

Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him. Job 13:15a

Job did not understand why God was letting all of this happen to him. He did not know about the evil enemy who had assailed him.

So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Job 2: 7-8

By allowing this in his life, God brought Job to the end of himself. Where do most of us go from there? To God!

Before God can use us, we must come to the end of ourselves. Job did not know what was going on in his life, and he did not know about God’s plan. Therefore, in his mind, it would have been better had he not even been born.

What Can Make Life Not Worth Living
There are many people, I suppose, who have never reached the point where life was so miserable they wanted to die. They have somehow managed to make it fairly well, and are as satisfied with life as it is with them. That being the case, they may never see their need for forgiveness of sin, and Jesus as their savior.

For I was envious of the prosperity of the proud and wicked. Yes, all through life their road is smooth![a] They grow sleek and fat. They aren’t always in trouble and plagued with problems like everyone else, so their pride sparkles like a jeweled necklace, and their clothing is woven of cruelty! These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! They scoff at God and threaten his people. How proudly they speak! They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut through the earth. Psalms 73: 3-9 LB

Untold numbers of people hear the gospel message everyday and the Holy Spirit begins to work in their hearts. It is a convicting work. A drawing of their spirit by the Word of God and the things of Christ. What I want to impress upon you is that when life’s problems come, no matter how intense, we can trust God. God has everything under control, even when we are the cause of our own trouble.

God has not put us here to be rich and famous, or popular. God has brought us into this world to serve his purposes and his pleasure. God brought you into this world and has told us to trust him. Jesus told us the secret to life;

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

The Very Best Life in This World is in Jesus Christ
•   Pleasure will not fully satisfy
•   Fame will not fully satisfy
•   Fortune will not truly satisfy
•   Marriage and sex will not fully satisfy
•   Not even religion will fully satisfy
•   Nothing will fully satisfy the heart but CHRIST!

Hearing a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 2 Timothy 3:5

And why call ye me, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luke 6:46

The heart of every person has a void that only Jesus Christ can fill. Christ alone, can make a person complete and whole. Sometimes someone will say, “I need to go somewhere and find myself.” What they don’t realize is, they do not need to find themselves, they need the Lord! A troubled heart needs Jesus Christ! An empty heart is longing for the master to enter it.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Isaiah 55:6

Jesus Christ gives life to sinners who are dead in their sins.

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespass and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Ephesians 2:1-2

And the Lord gives abundant life to those who are trusting him.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3: 17-20

Job had too high an opinion of himself. He was a very religious man who did many good things. But he needed the reality of God in his life. Is that your problem? You know about God, but do you really know him? Do people think you are more spiritual than you really are? Is pride keeping you from surrendering to Jesus? Are you a church member with a starving heart, but you are ashamed to admit it?

Job’s circumstance turned his life around. He was a man living by faith and God proved to Satan that he was. Job, who had misunderstood, was greatly embarrassed when God finally spoke to him.

Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further. Job 40: 4-5

Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. Job 42 1-6

Because Job never made false accusations against God in the middle of his trials. God blessed him with one hundred and forty years of life. He also doubled his possessions from what he had prior to Satan’s attacks.

So when life does not seem worth living, make sure you know the Lord. Make sure you are doing his will. Make sure you keep the faith no matter how difficult life might get. In the end you will be richly blessed, and you too will be praising the Lord and acknowledging he knows what is best for your life.

Trials
The Living Bible makes it easier to understand when difficult times come into our lives.

Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.

James 1:2-4 LB

God knew all about Job’s troubles, and he had not forsaken him. He was only testing him and showing Satan what a great man of faith Job was. God will test you and me if we belong to him. In the end we will be a better person, and a greater witness for our dear Savior. Life can, and will be worth living when we renounce sin and live a life of faith. And remember, he will be with us until the very end when he finally take us home to Heaven to be with him forever more!

...and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen Matthew 28:20

Father, how blessed we are to have a Heavenly Father who knows what is best for each of us. We thank you today, and praise you for your goodness unto us. Bless our readers with the knowledge of the Savior, I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen
“Loving the Savior” Preacher