Sermon: Bitter sweet

TEXT: JOB 30:1-14
The demarcation between joy and sorrow is just a
step. That is why a joyful heart can quickly slip into
utter gloom in a matter of seconds. It is a paradox.
A man may live a life of bliss, joy and happiness,
having everything that makes life worth living, with
people around him pouring encomiums and
sharing from his dainty. But the scripture cautions
that we should remember ‘the days of darkness’.
When it is well with us, we are praised and adored.
But when the tide turns against us, we become
objects of scorn and derision.
Job’s previous state of glory and abundance had
been described in chapter 29. And now, he
experiences suffering and deprivation. What a
contrast! What a twist of fate! He had become the
object of contempt by the same people he had
earlier assisted in their penury. Suffering such
extreme loss was bad enough, but to be abused by
derelicts and upstarts was to add insult to injury.
His mockers spared no thought for his bravery and
calmness in his suffering.
In a twinkle of an eye, the tide can turn and our
fortunes nose-dive. Our misfortune may create the
opportunity for mockers and revilers to have a field
day, feeding on our fallen state. Such mockers may
include younger people and those who have
benefited from our largesse when the going was
good.
There is the need for self-examination when our
condition becomes adverse to ensure we are still at
the centre of God’s will. And young people who
mock elders in distress should remember that
their own physical abilities and attributes wear out
with the passage of each day and that God watches
all our actions. Like Job, our trials would be over
soon, if only we put our confidence in God.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The only thing constant is
change.