Eliphaz may have been erroneous in his assessment that Job’s trouble was because of error in his lifestyle, but he had it right when he said, “…man is born to trouble…” (Job 5:7). Sorrow, labor, toil, grief, pain, trouble, misery, fatigue, and exhaustion, could all explain the original Hebrew word used here. If you have never experienced any of these, hold on, eventually you will! But David found a place of repose in Psalm 27:5 saying; “in the time of trouble (the word here meaning bad or evil) He shall hide me in His pavilion…” There is a place of resort, a pavilion, that David apparently knew how to enter, for he says in Psalm 25:14, “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.” When we have come into this secret place casting all our care upon Him (1 Peter 5:7), pouring out our heart before Him, Jesus promised, “…your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6). Putting it in the setting we are talking about, those around us are going to see our victorious side! And one more nugget from Scripture found in Job 11:6: Zophar indicated that Job needed God to show him wisdom, separate this from any supposed failures that Zophar implied, and look at it as something we all need. The original word applied in a Biblical sense gives the understanding to put the principles of right living into daily practice; He gives us the ability to accomplish this by His Spirit, yes, and to safely navigate through the minefields of this life! Troubles will come but every one of them becomes an opportunity for advancement and growing stronger in Him.
Double Trouble
-By Rose Hill
To all of us there comes a time of trouble,
When things seem to come upon us double.
To His secret place we then go for prayer,
His promise is He will meet us there.
There we get wisdom to receive from His hand,
For He has for us a plan that is so grand.
To receive His counsel is surely a must
So in His secret place we learn to trust.