Job 42 vs 2
‘I know that You can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted.’
These were Job’s words after God has put him in a place after a series of, do you know who I am type questions.
Made me wonder, what do we really know about God?
Reading the book of Job has made something very clear to me, there’s a massive difference between human opinion /reasoning and divine revelation. Job was surrounded by friends who just like him lived religious lives backed up by what I can only deduce to be ignorance and self righteousness.
Made me realize that the best thing that ever happened to Job was the devil accusing him in the presence of God, because God used it as an opportunity to draw Job into a relationship with Him and get him away from the nonsense self-righteous religiosity he was comfortable in. I mean he was so religious, he even offered sacrifices on behalf of his children (just in case they’d sinned and didn’t ask for forgiveness themselves)
And just like Job, God’s love for us is revealed in our suffering and pain. It’s the main reason why we should warm to him as an advocate at times of great sorrow instead of pitching him as the adversary.
God used Job’s pain to bring multiply him. Amazing that God never explained the spiritual goings on that brough about his predicament. I’m sure if God told him, it would have defeated the purpose of the lesson – humbling Job and making him understand it’s not just by living by a check list of righteous things to do, but rather truly knowing God.
Matt Redman’s Blessed be your name, puts this all into perspective…
You give and take away,
My heart will choose to say,
Lord blessed be your name…
Lyrics akin to the words of Job when he’d just heard news of calamity,
Job 1 vs 20
Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord.
