When God Responds
Daily Old Testament Reading: Job 35-38
Daily Focus Passage: Job 37-38
Job has spent time defending himself and seeking to discover why he faced such difficulty and loss. On several occasions, Job appears to question God for clarity on his plight, yet the Lord remains silent. As Elihu closes his speech, Job faces the Lord as God answers his questions. The engagement with the Lord will leave Job speechless and humbled. The Lord responds in a whirlwind and great power. Job could no longer cry over his plight but had to put his big boy pants on and hear the response of the Lord. The Lord’s response teaches us several truths about God, us, and the dynamics in life.
GOD, THE CREATOR, AND SUSTAINER
God asked Job the simple question, “where were you.” These three simple words cut deeply into the life of Job as the Lord asked where he was when the Lord created the entirety of the world. The response of the Lord reveals the great creativity, power, and authority that the Lord has over all creation. As Creator, he can respond to creation according to his will and his ways. As Creator, the Lord holds the authority to rule as he sees fit. Thus, Job must understand these characteristics of the Lord.
When we begin to ask the Lord why amid struggle, we must seek to recall and remember the creativity, power, and authority of the Lord; such reminders allow us to think correctly about the Lord and remember his ability to engage in the issues we face, strengthen us through the journey, and work things together for his good. Yet, at the same time, we must recognize that the one who created everything is the same one who can sustain everything no matter the dynamics.
HUMANITY, THE SILENT AND HUMBLED
The response of the Lord left Job speechless. Standing in the presence of the Lord drove the silence. When we come before the Lord, we recognize his holiness, which guides us to see our unholiness. When we grasp our filthy state before the Lord, we can do nothing by crying out for mercy because we recognize the death and punishment we deserve. Thus, we have nothing to say except plead for grace.
At the same time, Job moved from the state of spiritual self-defense and moved to humility. When we meet the Lord amid difficulty, we often enter a state of brokenness and become humbled. The humility comes as the Lord breaks us and causes us to see our genuine form before him. When humility appears, we enter the state of being changed by the Lord and repent.
Job spent most of the book defending himself against the accusations that sin existed in his life. While defending himself against his friends, he asked the Lord to respond to his why question. The Lord responded in the perfect timing and set forth a course of healing. When you walk through moments of difficulty, seek to see the genuine nature of the Lord and trust in him to be with you and work at the moment. The difficulty is preparing you to hear from him and to be changed by him.
