Passage of the Day: Job 38 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Well, we jump ahead in Job’s story, all the way to Chapter 38; and lo and behold, God shows up. However, in the interim – if you’ve read it – Job continues with his vexation and his quandary over what has brought such maladies into his life; and we also have the entrance of a fourth “friend,” Elihu, who does a better job of trying to explain away Job’s dilemma; but even this fourth friend misses the boat in trying to capture why Job is experiencing all these trials.
So, finally we see God enter the scene; and as you begin to read God’s take on Job’s life, you’ll see that God doesn’t answer any of Job’s questions. No, rather, the Lord begins by asking Job questions about the His creation, something Job knows, can see, and can appreciate. But as we read God’s questions we see that the Lord is trying to get Job to see that any attempt to explain the WHY behind God’s providence will fall short of the mark, because as I’ve said many times in my devotional journal entries, “God is God and we are not!”
And Swindoll puts it this day, “We take a major step in maturity when we realize it’s not about us and our significance. It’s all about God’s significance … His holiness, … His greatness, … His glory.” And Swindoll goes on, “Without [God] there is no righteousness, … no holiness, … no promise of forgiveness, … no source of absolute truth, … no reason to endure, … and no hope beyond the grave.”
And Swindoll closes by quoting from the great 19th Century hymn by Robert Grant …
O worship the King, all glorious above,
And gratefully sing of His wonderful love.
Our shield, our defender, the Ancient of days;
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.
Oh, my friend, when we cannot make heads nor tails of what is going on, our response needs to be … PRAISE, not platitudes; … ADORATION, not anxiety, … TRUST, not tragedy. If you’ve read the book of Job, you have seen that is where Job is headed; and it is the lesson we all need to learn from Job’s tragic life.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to see that I can’t see … that I need only seek You and You will lead me. Amen
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