“They call it stormy Monday, yes but Tuesday’s just as bad. They call it stormy Monday, yes but Tuesday’s just as bad. Wednesday’s even worse; Thursday’s oh, so sad.” If you are blues fan, you recognize those lyrics written by blues guitarist T-Bone Walker.
The Blues is a genre of music born from adversity. Most historians trace its roots to slave days and Southern plantations. The Blues transcends history, though. Whether you are black or white, young or old, you understand what T-Bone Walker was getting at: life isn’t always easy.
Everybody gets the blues even believers. Job is a good example. This morning, I’d like to look at Job’s life and learn something for ourselves. What Can Believers Do When They Get the Blues? Lord-willing, we’ll answer that question as we 1) understand the cause and 2) learn to apply the cure.
As I mentioned, there is no better biblical example of someone who had the blues than Job. Job was a man who had lost everything. At one time he was rich, but then he lost all of his wealth. At one time he had 10 children, but then all of them died in an accident. At one time he was healthy, but now he was covered with sores and was slowly dying. At one time he was respected, but now he had lost his honor – everyone was talking about him. And so, as Job thought about tomorrow, he fell into the pit of despair: “They call it stormy Monday, yes but Tuesday’s just as bad.” Job had the blues, “I have been allotted months of futility.” In other words, he felt his whole life has been one big waste of time. “When I lay down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’ The night drags on, and I toss till dawn.” Job couldn’t sleep. Physically, he was suffering too much. Psychologically, he was too depressed to sleep. “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and they come to an end without hope.” Job had no hope for the future. “Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; me eyes will never see happiness again.” Perhaps that is the best picture of despair: never seeing another happy day. Job’s felt his life was one perpetually stormy day after another. He was at a point in his life where he hated to think about tomorrow.
I’m sure you’ve had your share of “stormy Mondays.” What could bring you to a point like this? Well, perhaps, like Job, you lost your entire fortune. Maybe there are rumblings at work that the boss is going downsize due to the economy, and you get the blues. Maybe, like Job, you lost a child – to bury your own son or daughter is a terrible thing. Maybe, like Job, you lost your health – you’ve become seriously ill. Or maybe, like Job, you lost your honor, your reputation – you’ve become the talk of the town, the laughingstock, because of something you said or did. Imagine if all these things happened to you at the same time. Perhaps you’d begin to overreact and think the worst. You’d fear that you’ll lose everything you own. You’d worry your life had no purpose, and you’d start to feel like you will never see happiness again. That’s more than just the “blues.” That’s near despair
We’ve all had our stormy days when the blues had us teetering precariously near the pit of despair. That’s when we get that sinking feeling that no one is there to help, not even God. Especially not God! After all, you were taught he’d never let you down and was always there holding the world in his hand. Now … now God seems to be somewhere else, far, far away. It seems he doesn’t care and can’t help. The proverbial rug has been pulled out from under your feet and you are left teetering on the verge of despair.
By now I believe we all understand the cause for the “blues.” This life is not fair. This world is not easy. Despite popular belief, we cannot just spend our way out of trouble or buy our happiness. When a believer gets the blues the first thing to do is to admit it. Don’t be surprised that this fallen world is not heaven on earth. Don’t be shocked when your own sinful flesh fails and lets you down.
Job had the blues and he admitted it. He was pouring out his heart. He expressed his grief and pain. He lamented the cause of his suffering because he realized that this life is unfair. If we can learn anything from Job it’s this: when you feel the blues, then start singing. Confess your failures. Admit your shortcomings. Realize you are a sinner in a sin-filled world. We all need to identify the cause of our problems if we are ever to address and overcome them.
That’s why our Lord wants us to confess our sins. He wants us to admit the cause of our stormy Mondays. And our Savior hears the blues we sing. Every time we worship, we admit on way or another, “Lord, I have sinned against you in thought, word, and action. I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity.” With those words we admit the cause of our stormy Mondays. It is sin and the awful ways it manifests itself in our lives.
Job’s mood set a mournful backdrop on his life. He mourned the cause of his problems. He lamented the sin in his life. But there was more. Job may have understood what caused his grief, but he also understood how to apply the cure. This same beaten and battered fellow would later confess: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I and not another. How my heart yearns within me.” Here was a guy who could sing the blues. He could sing about bad times and bad people with bad motives. His heart was hurting. But even though Job saw stormy Mondays, he looked forward to a glorious Sunday – the day when Christ would conquer all the evil that causes our blues. Job’s confidence in God’s promises refused to fold. Like a strong musical beat, his faith wouldn’t die. Things would get better. God’s love and mercy would prevail!
The same is true of us. Our stormy Mondays have a bright sunset at the end. It is the triumphant victory celebration called Jesus’ resurrection. That is the ultimate cure to all our woes. We have the sure confidence that Jesus has solved our greatest dilemma of all, our eternal salvation. If he can cause the light of his love to dawn on my grave, then he can bring a sunset to even my stormiest days. Isn’t it interesting that a guy like Job would be exactly whom the Lord would use to reveal his glory. Here was a fellow who knew the blues, and yet every Easter Sunday we join with Job to sing: “I know that my Redeemer lives! What comfort this sweet sentence gives! He lives to silence all my fears; he lives to wipe away my tears. He lives and grants me daily breath; he lives, and I shall conquer death. Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: “I know that my Redeemer lives.”
I guess that’s what I appreciate about a good Blues song. True, the Blues sing about hardship and adversity, but in the end there is usually some sort of acceptance or resolution. Sometimes, it’s nothing more than a heartfelt, “Lord, have mercy!” or as Job simply said, Lord, remember me,” but that’s enough. There’s a joke that if you play a country song backwards everything turns out fine: the guy gets his girl, his dog comes back to life, and his truck gets fixed. That’s not how our Lord deals with the blues of life, though. He doesn’t just unwind or reverse our problems. Instead, he proves that he is faithful and someone we can trust to lead us through our stormy Mondays.
There IS a reason to hope, there IS a reason to be excited about tomorrow, there IS a reason to have joy in our hearts, regardless how blue live seems. That reason is Christ. He alone is the cure for our stormy Mondays. He props up our faith and gives us the courage and perseverance to sing the blues – all the way through to the end, as the Lord leads us to the resolution and conclusion!
When you find yourself singing the blues, then flee to the cross and empty tomb of Christ. Place your feelings of despair at the foot of the cross, and let Jesus heal you with his forgiveness and love. There’s the cure to what truly ails you. Look here in his Word, and you will see how Jesus can change your stormy Monday into a glorious Sunday. Amen.
