A Simpler Way
March 10, 2014
The last 3 weeks we have been studying the book of Job in Sunday School. I must say that I have avoided that book like the plague because it raises many of the questions of my own heart. The fact that Job had two rounds of horror in his life has always made me fear the future when I read it. And it has always blown my mind that God gave Satan permission to do this to Job when He was pleased with Job.
As I studied though, I could see myself in Job so much. Job just wanted to hear from God. He wanted answers to his questions. I think too much. I try to figure out exactly what God is doing, and what I’m supposed to be doing all the time. When God speaks clearly to my heart and I know what to do, I’m greatly relieved. When He doesn’t, I feel lost, just like Job did.
When God finally answered Job, He didn’t answer His questions. In fact, He asked Job questions, lots of questions. They all had to do with “Were you there when I…..?” Over and over God pointed out the things that He has done without Job’s help. Things that would be impossible for Job to do. Things that made Job’s world, and make our world, beautiful and worthwhile. God didn’t answer his questions at all, He just pointed Job to who He is.
And Job repented. Not of doing sin that caused the tragedies in his life to happen. That wasn’t the case for Job. He repented of charging God with wrongdoing, of speaking of things that he didn’t know. And interestingly, he seemed to no longer need the answers to his questions.
His friends had to repent of speaking on God’s behalf and saying things that weren’t true about God. They believed that good things happen to good people, and if bad things happen, then you are bad. And that’s what they had been trying to drill into Job….trying to make him feel bad for whatever he must have done to cause all this tragedy. God told them that he was angry with them for speaking like that. Go God!
There’s such a simpler way. I don’t need to demand answers from God, or from people either, for that matter. I just need to praise Him for the majestic, powerful, all-knowing God that He is. And trust Him to be in control.
Humility and complete release to the love, power and majesty of God is sometimes very difficult for we humans.
God bless you, Lora.
Clay