trouble – Page 2 – Praying Pint

28.o. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow”

Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone.

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble

Luke 21:34 “Be careful or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.

This is the heart of a person who will let the Lord fight his battles. He knows that vengeance is Mine, says the Lord. It is a person who is really free to let go of His anxieties and all the things that cause him stress, because he knows that the Lord is his refuge.

How are we to show gentleness to those closest to us, yet alone those we happen to meet by chance, when we are anxious and weighed down with cares of this life? Things happen, accidents happen, bad things happen, and they seem to happen out of nowhere. One day all is well and then….. there is a pandemic, volcano, earthquake, storm, bad drivers, sickness, financial troubles, etc…. Though they have devastating effects, if we are not already walking closely with Jesus Christ these events can rob us of joy, peace, gentleness, hope, kindness, love, forgiveness, patience, and leave us anxious, worried, and fearful. If we are not firmly rooted in God’s Word with humble surrender of self and self-reliance, self-worth and worthiness we will crumble to the cares of this world. It is in humbleness we stand before Jesus Christ and in Him we find hope for today and tomorrow. If we become complacent and neglectful in our Christian walk the things that happen, whatever they are, will snare us and leave us anxiousness, fearful, anger, greedy, despairing, miserable, conflicted, distressing, resentful……..

Cares of this world and what it has to offer are easily seen. Our family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and strangers need to see Christian examples who are not affected by the cares of this world and are not lead by what it has to offer. When our heart’s desire is to honor, glorify, trust, rely on, and cling to Jesus Christ, it is then we will be able to discern the difference between what is godly and worldly, and the worldly cares and worldly expectations can put it in its proper place – into the hands of our redeemer, fortress, and refuge, Jesus Christ. It is then we will walk above worldly cares and worries. It is then, those around us will see that in Jesus Christ, things that happen, we are not robbed of joy, peace, gentleness, hope, kindness, love, patience, and forgiveness.

26.d. “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own”

Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Mark 6:6     And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.

Psalms 106:13    But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.

Isaiah 29:13     And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Jeremiah 2:12-13     Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD,  for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Romans 10:3   For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

1 Peter 1:15     but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

2 Peter 1:3    His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

Someone brought this false gospel to the Galatians. False gospels don’t just happen. People bring them, and the people who bring them may be sincere and have a lot of charisma. It is not as though these deceivers make are proclaiming a new or different Savior. They twist the Gospel and its pure message into something different and that seems true.

The gospel offends our sinful nature of self-pride. It tells us we need a savior, and that we cannot save ourselves. It gives no credit to us at all for our salvation. The gospel offends our sinful nature of self-wisdom. It saves us by something many consider foolish. Third, the gospel offends our sinful self-knowledge. It tells us to believe something which goes against scientific knowledge and personal experience.

There is so much more to being a Christian than knowing about God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Knowing about something does not mean you believe in it, you just know about it. There is a big difference. When the gospel of Jesus Christ is watered down and diluted to the point where you can think that by doing something other than believing in, trusting on, clinging to, and relying on Jesus Christ alone, you are ignorant of the righteousness of God, and will seek to establish their own, not submitting to God’s righteousness.

25.r. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked”

2 Corinthians 9:6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

Psalms 41:1-3    Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;  the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.  The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.

Proverbs 11:24  One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

Proverbs 19:17    Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.

Proverbs 22:9    Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

Galatians 6:7-9  Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.  And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

A farmer sowing seed may feel he loses seed as it falls from his hand to the ground, and we may feel we are losing when we give. But just as the farmer gives the seed it in anticipation of a future harvest, we should give with the same heart.

What do we reap when we give? We reap blessings that are both material and spiritual. Materially, we can trust that God will provide for the giving heart. The promise of Philippians 4:19 (my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus) is made in the context of the generous hearts of the Philippians (Philippians 4:15-18). If we give to God, He will give to us materially. Spiritually, we can trust that God will reward the giving heart both now and in eternity. Jesus spoke to this in Matthew 19:29: And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. Jesus obviously did not mean that we would receive a hundred houses if we gave up our house for Him any more than He meant we would receive a hundred wives if we gave one up for Him! But He did mean that we are never the losers when we give to God. The Lord can never be in debt to any man, and we should never be afraid of giving God “too much.” Spiritually or materially, you can’t out-give God. Every Christian should be a giver. Because of small resources some cannot give much but it is still important that they give, and that they give with the right kind of heart.

Giving should be motivated by the purposes of our own heart. It should never be coerced or manipulated. We should give because we want to give and because God has put it in our own heart to give. This can also be said in the sense that our giving reveals the purposes in [our] own heart. If we say we love the Lord more than surfing, but spend all our money on surfboards and do not give as we should to the Lord’s work, then the way we spend our money shows the purposes of our own heart more accurately than our words do. Jesus said it simply: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. God does not want our giving to be grudging (reluctantly, regretfully given with plenty of complaining) or of necessity (given because someone has made us or manipulated us into giving). Some people talk of the tithe as what they are giving but this I think is wrong. The tithe was an expectation God has place on us. Giving is separate from that. Giving is not given because it is an expectation but freely from the heart. Give some thought to this and ask God to reveal if you are giving out of love for Him or out of expectation.

20.y. “Let him seek peace and pursue it.”

Romans 12:9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Psalms 55:21   His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.

Psalms 36:4   He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.

Proverbs 8:13   The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Proverbs 26:25   when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart;

Ezekiel 33:31   And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Psalms 34:14    Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Amos 5:15   Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Psalms 101:3   I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

1 Peter 3:10-11  For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;  let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

I like where David says “ I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.” He has purposed in his heart to know what is good, true, and right and by knowing this he is able to discern what is evil and worthless. Though he sees it and though others are doing or following after it, it will not cling to him. He has purposed in his heart to keep his life from evil and to do that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ.

How is a person to know what is worthless and how to keep it from clinging to us? “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” We need to be able to recognize and discern the difference between that which is worthless and that which is right, true, pure, honorable, and lovely. God’s Word will always bring to mind the difference. Sometimes this wisdom comes immediately and other times it is a work in progress. The problem is that God’s Word does not reside in the hearts and minds of many. Meditation on His Word is what is able to soak in on a Sunday morning a couple of times per month. There is so much distraction in the world today. It is at our fingertips all our waking moments and unless there is a purposed restraint it will consume our hearts and minds. It is in this consumption that we become neglectful and complacent to the Word of God and things of God. Take an inventory of what is worthless in the world. Make a list of what you see as worthless. Spend some time looking at God’s view of what is worthless in this world. Seek and desire to know the difference.

14.a. “They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression They set their mouths against the heavens”

Malachi 2:17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

Psalms 95:9-10     when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.  For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.”

Isaiah 43:24     You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.

Jeremiah 15:6    You have rejected me, declares the LORD; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you— I am weary of relenting.

Ezekiel 16:43    Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have enraged me with all these things, therefore, behold, I have returned your deeds upon your head, declares the Lord GOD. Have you not committed lewdness in addition to all your abominations?

Psalms 73:3-15    For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.  For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek.  They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.  Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.  Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.  They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression  They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.  Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them.  And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”  Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.

Ecclesiastes 8:11    Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.

Do you ever wonder if we are just continually asking things of God and forgetting to honor, worship, and glorify Him? Don’t get me wrong it is good to seek the Lord with all those troubles and concerns that affect us or the ones we love. Is it possible in all of this asking we lose sight of honor, glory, and praise to Jesus Christ? Do we weary Jesus with this continual asking and minimal praise and worship? Do we spend enough time in His Word to know of His greatness, power, knowledge, wisdom, might, grace, mercy, and love? Do we spend enough time in His Word so that we recognize that which is worldly and that which is holy, true, just, and right? Do we put God’s patience to test by confusing worldly cultural beliefs with those of God? Is our heart astray? Are we always going backward? Are we calling evil good? Think about this. Many across our country approve of abortion, protest riots and looting, gay lifestyle, pornography, gay marriage, etc….. Is our country going backward? Have our leaders abandoned Jesus Christ? Has our country become ice-cold to Jesus Christ? There can be no compromise in our hearts and minds. There cannot be room for the cultural beliefs of what is right and wrong to coexist with things of God. Our foundation, rock, and steadfast truth are found in the Word of God, Jesus Christ’s redemption, and the indwelling Holy Spirit. When we neglect God’s Word, deny honor and worship to Jesus Christ, and resist the Holy Spirit’s leading, that which is worldly is given space to root and it will easily confuse us in our understanding of what is right and wrong. Just take a good look at what people are calling right and wrong right now and compare it with the Word of God and what it calls right and wrong. We will do well to continually worship, honor, praise, and glorify Jesus Christ, studying His Word, and following, trusting, obeying, and relying on Him every day.

12.p. “Those who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’ Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished.

Zephaniah 1:11 Wail, you who live in the market district; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with silver will be destroyed. At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’ Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. Though they build houses, they will not live in them; though they plant vineyards, they will not drink the wine.” The great day of the Lord is near— near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry. That day will be a day of wrath— a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness— a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. “I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”

James 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.

Revelation 18:14 “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again! The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”

Have you ever put your trust in what you have? Trusting your job or position and the income from it. Trusting in your health. Trusting in the economy. Trusting in the safety of your home. Trusting in your finances. Trusting in your education. Trusting in your experience. What if we were to change the word from pridefully trusting to humbly thankful. There is a difference isn’t there? One, our reliance is on what we have and what we can do. The other is faith, trust, and reliance on Jesus Christ, His plan and purpose, His best for our life, His supplying everything that we need, His steadfast love, grace, and mercy, His promises and…… The difference is all in the intentional choices we make one way or the other in our hearts, minds, and souls. This difference will manifest itself in one of two ways. If we are self-reliant, when things happen, trials, troubles, and chaos, we will find a deep-rooted fear, confusion, and lack of peace and rest. We will complain rather than rejoice. We will despair rather than have joy and hope. We will have fear rather than peace. We will have confusion rather than clarity. We will believe lies rather than truth. If we cling to, rely on, and trust in Jesus Christ the opposite will manifest in our lives. Peace and certain steadfast hope that passes all understanding will flow through our entire being. We will not fear tomorrow but rejoice in the Promises of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. We will see new blessings each day. We will have peace at night for our hope and trust is in Him alone. He is our refuge, strength, courage, power, fortress, and the reason we have no fear or confusion. There is much going on today in our cities, nations, and the world. Media outlets are vomiting up narratives of fear and danger. People are buying into these lies because they reject the peace that only Jesus Christ can bring. Oh that Jesus would open their eyes and ears once more to see and hear the truth. Oh that He would soften hearts to the Gospel and would flood our cities and nation with an overpowering understanding of the need for salvation, redemption, and forgiveness. Oh that He would use each of us to bring this Good News, live this Good News, and proclaim this Good News. Oh that He would remove all fear, confusion, and anxiety from His children and allow them to walk in strength, courage, and power of the Holy Spirit.

11.m.”The Lord is good”

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

1 Chronicles 16:34     Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalms 25:8    Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

Psalms 100:5     For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Lamentations 3:25    The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

Romans 11:22   Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Do you think about the “Good of our Lord and Savior”? I am sure thoughts about His saving grace, mercy, forgiveness, and promise of forever with Him in eternity are present most days. But the “Good or our Savior” is more than that. He has given us each talent to use. These talents allow us to fix, repair, build, grow, lead, and apply knowledge. These are not burdens but often we fall into the trap of calling them a burden. We say things like “I have to” do something rather than thanking God for the talents that allow us to say “I get to” do something. These talents are not a burden, they are God’s gift to us. He has given us abilities that help us and certainly can be used to help others. These abilities are not “I have to’s” but “I get to’s”. When we have thoughts of our abilities as having to use them we won’t have a mindset to be thanking God for them. We will have thoughts of them being a burden and our heart for whatever the task is will not be giving God praise and thanks. Granted some of our gifts will get us dirty, tired, and mentally exhausted as we use them. It sure makes the task or job much more meaningful to do when we “get to” use our gifts rather than “have to”. Each of us has been given both physical and spiritual gifts. In these gifts of abilities and talents, we have a great opportunity to thank and honor God by how we use them and how we think about “Getting to” use them. When have you taken a mental inventory of all the gifts, talents, and abilities God has given you? When we are mindful of them it is a good foundation for putting honor and glory and thankfulness in to “Getting to us them”.

10.o. “I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.”

Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

Psalms 50:15    and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalms 91:15    When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

Isaiah 26:16     O LORD, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them.

James 5:13    Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.

Hosea 6:1-3    “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.  After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.  Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

Hosea 5:15     I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.

Idle ineffectiveness for eternal things has a way of gaining our attention on our own comfort, enjoyment, self-worth, self-reliance, and self-satisfaction. Troubles, trials, and distress in our lives, on the other hand, have a way of resetting out wayward inner self-reliant beliefs. Well, that is true for some. Others harden their hearts and will not even give God a second glance for help. For those who are humbled and realize their only hope in the situation is from the Mighty Hand Of God, and when they call out to Him, their prayer will be answered and they will be rescued and delivered. Why is it so hard t repent and turn back to God? Why do we choose to neglect His word and applying it in our lives? Are we not blessed and find joy, hope, rest, peace, and strength when we are always desiring and seeking to be nearer to Him? And yet, we seem to find time after time neglect and complacency creep in. I can tell you this with 100% assurance when God’s Word is not hungered and thirsted for our natural default is neglect, complacency, and worldly contentment. Spend time in His Word and intentionally choose to grow closer and closer to Him.

9.e. “When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”

Joel 1:19 To you, O Lord, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Psalms 50:15    and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalms 91:15   When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

Micah 7:7    But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Habakkuk 3:17-18     Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,  yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Luke 18:1     And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart

Luke 18:7   And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?

Philippians 4:6-7     do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The people of Judah are going through trouble, granted it is a consequence of their unrepentant hearts, but they are truly going through something terrible. We go through trials and troubles. Some of these are a result of the consequences of our doing and others because of the consequences of others. These all are known by God. There is no surprise to God and all of these trials and troubles should bring us humbly before God, calling on His name, expect deliverance, and glorify Him. What really happens and how do we react in times of trials and troubles? Do we run to Jesus Christ first or to something / somewhere else? Are you able to say in the midst of trials and troubles “yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation?” When things are going well are we rejoicing and glorifying Jesus? Or are we just living in the moment of the ease of life, not giving much thought or care to live humble serving, following, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ? Do we need trials and troubles to bring us back to Jesus Christ? Do we need trials and troubles to reset our focus on what is truly important in life this side of eternity? Think about it. Do we seek and desire Jesus Christ’s influence and leading in our life more when things are going well or when things are upended? We do well to set Jesus Christ first in all things and at all times.

4.s. For affliction does not come from the earth

Job 5:1 “Call now; is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn? Surely vexation kills the fool, and jealousy slays the simple. I have seen the fool taking root, but suddenly I cursed his dwelling. His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them. The hungry eat his harvest, and he takes it even out of thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth. For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.

Isaiah 45:7 I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.

Lamentations 3:38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?

Matthew Henry; Eliphaz here calls upon Job to answer his arguments. Were any of the saints or servants of God visited with such Divine judgments as Job, or did they ever behave like him under their sufferings? The term, saints, holy, or more strictly, consecrated ones, seems in all ages to have been applied to the people of God, through the Sacrifice slain in the covenant of their reconciliation. Eliphaz doubts not that the sin of sinners directly tends to their ruin. They kill themselves by some lust or other; therefore, no doubt, Job has done some foolish thing, by which he has brought himself into this condition. The allusion was plain to Job’s former prosperity, but there was no evidence of Job’s wickedness, and the application to him was unfair and severe.