Sept 17

Job 38-42

God's turn.

One of my favorite shows on TV is a miniseries called Planet Earth that airs on the Discovery channel. It's an 11 part miniseries that takes a very in-depth look at different areas of the world. You see the animals and plants that live in the extreme conditions of mighty mountains, deep oceans, dry deserts, and frozen ice worlds. There are the great plains that are home to many herds of animals. The jungles have tremendous diversity in the different birds and plants that live there. In my opinion, the most amazing episode was about caves. I was stunned by the different forms of life that can survive in harsh, acidic conditions with no sunlight. There are crystal formations that put the most elaborate man-made chandeliers to shame. (I recommend googling images of the Chandelier Ballroom in Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico. It's pretty amazing!) The entire time I'm watching this show, the constant thought in the back of my mind is this: the world is AWESOME and God made it all!

At this point in the book of Job, everyone has had multiple turns to say their piece. Now, it's God's turn to respond. He questions their conclusions and qualifications. Were they there when the earth began, when everything came to be, when all things took shape? Do they control the rising and setting sun, the lightening and thunderstorms, the rain and snow? Are they aware of all things that are happening at all times? The answer to all these questions is an undeniable NO!

Job is humbled and gives all credit and glory to God. Job 42:1-6 says:

Then Job replied to the LORD :

"I know that you can do all things;

no plan of yours can be thwarted.

You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

"You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;

I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'

My ears had heard of you

but now my eyes have seen you.

Therefore I despise myself

and repent in dust and ashes."

It's hard to comprehend why bad things happen to good people. At the end of this story, God restores Job to his former life, making him even more prosperous than before. Unfortunately, not everyone gets a happy ending like that and its difficult to understand why. One thing that we can understand and take comfort in is this: The same God who created the wonders of the earth in all of its beautiful details loves all of us more than we can imagine. Having a great and mighty God on our side is all we need.