Job 42:2-3
“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, too wonderful for me to know.”
How many times have people had conversations with God similar to those in the book of Job? We want to question God, and bargain with Him. God allows us to question His sovereignty, but that does not change things. Whether we understand it or not, God allows bad things to happen. C.S. Lewis wrote that pain reminds us that this life is imperfect and temporary and keeps us seeking that perfect union with God, eternity with Him. I can’t run after perfection here in earth. That is pointless. But seeking God is not pointless- it brings me that tiny bit closer to Him. Today I pray that God would gather me in, closer to Him. I accept those things I cannot change, because I accept His sovereignty. Amen
Becky, transforming
Job 42:2-3
We see in this reading that God’s sovereignty allows him to do what we wants when he wants without consulting us. Why? Why me? Why did this happen? These are the questions we ask when troubles come. I am reminded of the story of tennis pro, Arthur Ash when he was questioned about his diagnosis of HIV due to a blood transfusion. His response was: If I were to say “God why me?” about the bad things, then I should have said, “God, why me?” About all the good things that happened in my life. There is a beautiful message he wrote that is presented by Anil Gupta. Everyone should read it. What a thoughtful, humble, b…
Friday, June 28th, 2024
Job 42:2-3
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
Job learns the importance of not speaking out because of his emotions. The suffering Job endured was unimaginable. Nothing takes more self control than my tongue when I am being confronted in a negative situation. I want to spit out everything my mind thinks and my heart feels, all at the same time. I need to remember the acronym “think” (thankful, helpful, intelligent, necessary and kind) because these situations require…
Job 42:2-3
There is a frightening aspect to these words of Job. I wonder how often I obscure God’s plans without knowledge. With practice, spiritual discipline becomes easier. With the experience that accompanies age one’s sense of God’s sovereignty becomes clearer. Nevertheless, events in this life raise questions in my mind. Among the prayers of our Saturday men’s group is one for a family with a dying child in the hospital. Could God respond to these and the myriad other prayers for this child by a miraculous healing? Yes. Experience, however, has taught us this is extremely rare. Faith, on the other hand, keeps us at prayer, and God will hear and act on those prayers as is His will.…