Thursday, September 14, 2017

Shut My Mouth!

Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.  Then Job answered the LORD and said, Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth.  Job 40:2-4

Poor Job.  He has gone through so much and really reacted much better than a lot of us would.  But he put his foot in his mouth when he questioned God’s faithfulness and abilities.  We can all feel for Job.  If you are breathing, you have been in pain.  We haven’t all lost a child, or all of our children but we have all experienced deep pain, physical and emotional pain.  If we haven’t said it, we have all felt like saying, "God, you must not care, because if you really loved me like the Bible says you do, you would never have allowed this to happen." That's Job's first accusation.
God’s reply to Job by raising all of these questions is this: "I am a God of infinite care and love and concern for my creation. If I am concerned when the goats give birth, if I am concerned that the sun rise every morning, isn't it reasonable, Job, that what you are accusing me of is a lie? God also addresses Job’s second accusation that He cannot control the universe that He created, or that He doesn’t have the ability to protect Job.  Finally, God finishes and says, “Job, what do you say to all of this?  Answer these questions.”  Job realized that there was no way He could reply to God almighty.  He said, “there is no reply so I am just going to cover my mouth with my hand now.  Smart man. 
God really put Job in his place and reminded him of what he couldn’t remind himself of.  When we are shaken by our circumstances we forget who God is.  We can’t see the end of the tunnel so we assume that He can’t either.  But He can.  He already knows the outcome and even when we are spinning out of control, and everything around us is spinning out of control, He is not.  He is in control and capable, and He loves us and has not abandoned us. 
Even when Job realized he had made a mistake in questioning almighty God, God still did not provide answers.  He just flooded Job with the knowledge of His presence, His sovereignty, and His control of all creation.  Is there any comfort when there are no answers?  Most of life is spent in that sphere.  There is comfort, and that comfort comes from a reliance on the revealed character of God.   God has revealed himself to us, but he has not revealed himself completely. God has called us to a confident faith that is real faith.  Not only does he love us, but He is also above us and controls all of life's circumstances.  No explanations, no justification, only revelation.  Job was not comforted by answers, because there were none.  What comforted Job in tragedy, and what can comfort us, is the character of God.  He is steadfast and merciful, omnipotent and He loves us more than we can ever know. 

Scripture to Claim

I am the Lord , and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord , and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.  Isaiah 45:5-7 NASB

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