Friday, January 16, 2009

Quiet time files 011409*

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. "
Job 38:1-4 (ESV)

God begins to speak to Job out of the whirlwind, revealing both His personal care for Job and the vast difference between the created and the Creator. Verse by verse, God questions whether Job truly understands all the mysteries of creation, the intricate workings of nature. Question by question, it becomes more evident to Job that he cannot begin to take into account all the unseen workings of God in his arguments for his own righteousness.

God was reminding Job that there were reasons for his affliction beyond what Job, in his limited human understanding, could see. While through chapter one we are privy to the goings on in heaven that led to Job's troubles, Job was not.

What an excellent reminder for us. Our human knowledge base is so incredible, growing exponentially moment by moment, that we've become to believe that we can find the reason for anything. We analyze, test and probe to try to find out why things are the way they are. We wrack our brains trying to reason out why God has allowed our lives to be certain ways.

Sometimes, we need to simply trust that He is God, with reasons of His own for allowing our circumstances.

Not so simple, sometimes.

*Reminder, this date corresponds to the reading plan, not the posting date. To read the whole passage, click on the "chronological Bible reading" link on the right, and on the date as it is in the title of this post.

No comments: