JOB
42 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do anything,
and no one can stop you.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for me.
4 You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.’
5 I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
Sometimes we think we are wise when we really are not. Job was a man who questioned the wisdom of the Lord. He felt like he was in the right, that he had the ability and the authority to question what the Lord was doing. Job felt like he had done no wrong and was undeserving of what came to him. Job had some minor issues with pride. In Chapter 34:6 Job says, “ My suffering is incurable, though I have not sinned”.
I know that at times I have felt this way. Not knowing why I am going through trials when I feel like I have been sin free. The truth of the matter is that I look past my sin, and see only the things I have done that can be pleasing to the Lord. It’s not until I stop and actually talk with God, vent my frustrations that I can hear clearly what he has been communicating with me. It’s when I repent, and give him the honor and glory he deserves, instead of trying to glorify myself, that I am able to see what God is teaching me. If you read further in the book of Job, you will see that after this humble reply that God blesses him in his new beginning, blesses him greater than he could have ever imagined. The blessing of the Lord is right there for us, most the time we just need to get out of our own way to see it.
This post really spoke to me. I feel that i do need to get out of my own way and believe in God’s power to change me and walk in his will. Even if it may at moments feel contrived to begin with he will make it become natural as he changes my heart and i just walk in faith. His word is giving me a new lense in which to view the world and also an awareness of my own disobedience. Also very loving and devoted servants who never compromise his truth give me awareness and encouragement. I’m choosing to believe in a God who’s gifts are all gifts and be greatful even though it may not feel that way at the moment. I have an ant’s viewpoint compared to him who writes the story and knows all and gave his life because he loved so, that all might be saved. He just leads u to loving obedience. How can u keep being foolish to such abounding love?
Verses 3-5 hit home for me. Even though I know that God is all powerful and able to do anything, all knowing and all wise, I still question Him in His wisdom so foolishly! Trying to suggest my own plans or use my own logic and limited wisdom to make sense of Him and His decisions. Just “talking about things I [know] nothing about’ instead of completely submitting and letting the Lord have His way.
I think we all struggle with this at times because if you don’t know the answer what can you do besides ask for an answer? The problem lies with your heart or intent of the question. Are you questioning Gods judgment, thinking you have the answer or are you genuinely going to him because you know that he is the God of the universe and knows everything. We need to question God out of trust that he will answer and his answer will be correct and best for us no matter how we feel about it. This can be a struggle when it’s not the answer I want. I try to justify it and say well, maybe that wasn’t really the Holy Spirit. Ask God to help you listen to and obey the HS prompting in your life even if it goes against your will.
I think this is good for people who try to have a checklist of what should be happening in their lives. I tend to be like this. I want to make sure I’m doing my best so I don’t have to be surprised when I come across a dry season. I know from my experience that God sometimes wants to take us into a new level of relationship with him. It’s sometimes a tough pill to swallow, but when I find myself in complicated and confusing seasons like this, I humble myself and just pray it out to God. I may not ever know why I go through certain seasons, but I know the outcome will be victorious!
I love that you said, “It’s when I repent, and give him the honor and glory he deserves, instead of trying to glorify myself, that I am able to see what God is teaching me.”– Wow! Great thing to point out. I feel as though we do that very often in so many different situations. Even if we hadn’t done anything wrong, we shouldn’t glorify ourselves and ignore God in it. If we weren’t for Him we wouldn’t even be here. We should be giving Him more credit and glorify him way more than we do. Also, when I read the ending, the last verse stuck out to me, “I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”– When I read that I think, to get dust and ashes something has to be burnt. In order for something to be burnt, there is fire. Fire is a representation of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Holy Spirit can burn those parts in your life that need to be repented of. After that, you can “sit” on them, which can also mean “step over them”.. Not letting it take over your life anymore.
I struggle with the same things at time with authority not knowing I still am. Sometimes , even though I don’t speak it, I tell myself that I can do better than my bosses or leaders. Even my thought process needs fixing! That was a sin I was overlooking and it wasn’t until someone mentioned it to me that I took the time to think about it. Stopping and thinking , talking to God away from the craziness of the day is what opens your eyes to those things that can so easily be looked passed. Take blinders off, step back and face it ALL.