'tossin - N - Turnin'

(King James Verssion)

“When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.”

(New King James Version)

“When I lie down, I say, ‘When shall I arise, and the night be ended?’ For I have had my

fill of tossing till dawn.”

(Contemporary English Version)

“ I pray for night to end, but it stretches out while I toss and turn.”

In July of 1961 (42 years ago) a singer by the name of Bobby Lewis recorded a song titled ‘Tossin’ - n - Turnin’. For 23 weeks, the song road the music charts eventually hitting the number spot in both the pop and rhythm & blues categories.

The words and melody of the song, which was the only monster hit recorded by Bobby Lewis, was on the lips and in the minds of practically every teenager of that time who had ever been in love. In the song, Bobby Lewis sang to a woman who had evidently done some "love thing" to him that caused him not to be able to sleep at night.

He said, “I couldn’t sleep at all last night, just a thinking of you.” He said, “things weren’t right – cause, I was tossin and turning, turning and tossin... Toss and turn all night.”

And then, he went on to describe everything he went through that restless evening. He said, “I kicked the blankets on the floor, turned my pillow upside down. I never, never did before.. but I was tossin’ and turnin’, turnin’ and tossin’... toss and turn all night.”

He said, “I jumped out of bed, turned on the light, pulled down the shade... went to the kitchen for a bite. . . Rolled up the shade, turned off the light, I jumped back into bed It was the middle of the night! The clock downstairs was striking four - couldn’t get you off my mind. I heard the milkman at the door... because, I was tossin’ and turnin’, turnin’ and tossin’... toss and turn all night!”

My brothers and sisters, I can’t say that I’ve ever been in love like that (except maybe the night before I was about to get married) - but in my life, I have spent many nights ‘Tossin’ - n - Turnin’ over problems!

How many know today that the troubles of life can cause you to loose sleep? Sometimes, your troubles can be so great that you pray for morning to hurry up and come, so at least you can go to work and try to forget about your troubles for a little while.

Troubles will test you and find out what you’re made of! Everyone here has had a situation, or a problem that seemed to have no solution, nor rhyme, nor reason why it was happening to you. Especially if you’re a Christian!

Sometimes it seems like when you are trying to live for God that troubles come from everywhere! Sometimes the troubles of this Christian life seem so unfair! But you must understand that “many are the afflictions of the righteous.” In other words, ‘righteous folk have to go through!’

That word “righteous” is the key word there. First of all, understand that there are two types of righteousness: One is to be “self righteous.” That means we think we are better than everyone else!

A person who thinks they are righteous because they don’t cuss, smoke, drink, or do drugs, and so on... but looks down on those who do without offering a word of Godly advice is “self righteous.” But listen... just because you don’t do any of those things does not make you righteous - because a lot of folk in the church don’t do any of that, but they’re guilty of other stuff like not speaking to their neighbor, like holding a grudge against somebody, like wanting to be scene or recognized for what they do in the church!

But let me straighten you out: To be righteous of God is to be made a new again! Paul said in II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

To be “IN CHRIST” (as Paul suggests)means “to be in the anointed one and His anointing is in us!” How many know that anointed folk go through more hell than folk with no anointing? (I must not be talking to any anointed people here today.) If you know you’re anointed slap three people a high five and tell them, “I got it, I got it, I got it!”

In the text, we find a man who is undergoing a severe testing of his faith - only Job, here, is unaware that he is the subject of a spiritual contest between God and Satan. The book of Job is called one of the most profound books in all of the bible for it confronts head on the toughest question of Christian existence, "Why do the righteous suffer and the evil prosper?" Or as every Christian person has cried out over the ages, "What did I do to deserve this? Why is this happening to me?" Have you ever asked God questions like that while you’re in a midnight situation that caused you to lose sleep?