“I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
Job 42:3
When a person makes demands upon another person, that individual can be very challenging, maybe even difficult. For example, I was reading a story of a Christian man who believed God had led him to take a daring step of faith, and made this remark: “if God doesn’t give me success in this matter, He’ll certainly have a lot of explaining to do!” It’s easy to judge this man’s words, but have you ever said, “When I get to heaven, I expect God to explain to me why some of my prayers were not answered.” This particular man was inferring that God needed to explain why he had experienced some tragedies which according to his thinking and understanding could have been prevented! Has there been occasion for you to take a similar position as such to say “When I get to heaven, I am going to ask God for some answers.”
A little background to Job’s life events is found in Job 1:8 and Job 2:3 Here Satan questions God about the motive for Job’s integrity and twice the Lord gives controlled permission for Satan to test Job’s allegiance. As the events of this permission unfold, Job lost his property, his family, servants and health. He eventually looses the support of his wife who is in the midst of grieving over the great loss of her family, Mrs Job even tells him to forfeit his integrity. Job’s friends come along and try to ease his pain but at some point Job is subjected to their accusations and taunts which further intensified and elevated his sorrow.
You know God is ultimately the only judge to whom the integrity of man must answer, and His verdict is announced to Job’s astonished friends: despite all of Job’s complaints and questions, he is the one who has spoken to the Lord “the things that are right.” Job 42:7-8. God gives instruction to these friends of Job, “go and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering and My servant Job will pray for you. That is quite a turnaround, God heard Job’s pain-filled prayers, He accepted them, God will act on behalf of those who wait for Him!
On a personal level, have you ever confessed that you “Feel” God is far off, that He has “withdrawn” Himself from you? It could be that sin has caused this distance – Job’s friends seemed convinced this was the case with him. But we read in John 9:1-3 where Jesus taught His disciples in the case of a man born blind, sin is not always the cause. I guess the question that begs asking is: How am I responding in the midst of my circumstances or situations? Am I trusting Him or am I looking frantically for a way out of the difficulty without discovering what He wants me to learn? Jesus said that if I seek His Kingdom first, seek His righteousness, He is obligated to meet my needs when I faithfully obey and trust HIM! That means keeping in step with Him, the Lord will assume full responsibility for your needs, your problems, challenges and circumstances of life. BUT God does this according to His will because His will speaks of His purpose for you, His plans for you and His timing for you! Regardless of when the answer comes, it will always be perfect, it will encourage you, as a mater of fact -> it will surpass your expectations.
To sense a separation from God – it means that you first have to have a relationship, to experience that relationship so that you know what separation means. If no relationship, then you have never really known “separation”. We read in Genesis 3 that Adam & Eve fell from relationship due to disobedience. Now they knew what separation was, they had experienced “presence” - but sin cut them off. However, God would continue to pursue them through grace and mercy, He came seeking them. What about the prodigal son who came to his senses and set out to go back to his father’s house – He found his father running to meet his son, Luke 15. Restoration came through grace!
Job was in great pain, grieved beyond what we could possibly understand, God seemed so evidently withdrawn from him without cause. Job 2:3. Yet Job pours out his complaint to the Lord, he questioned Him , bitterly complained, he cried out in his sense of desolation. This patriarch of old struggled to make sense of his bitter experience, that bad things can happen to good people!
But here’s the key: at no point did he blame anyone else, and neither did he cease to reach out toward the Lord – How did he do that? Job knew that the Lord would never cease to be his Redeemer. Job reassures us that questioning God is common to all of humanity, regardless of being a Christian or not. Yet, when Job demanded that God justify His lack of intervention in his trials, God didn’t comply. Instead, He bombarded Job with His own searching questions, read Job 38 to 41. The Almighty does not have to explain Himself or reveal Himself and His plans to us in His way and in His time for our ultimate benefit.
God is capable to meeting your needs, He knows your struggles, He knows the battles that are ensuing around your life. God knew the questions on Job’s heart. However the deeper principle – How we need to focus on our faith when we are under trial. Know that God is committed to meeting your needs, but He wants to know that you are committed to living your life for Him.
Express to the Lord today , tell Him, “Lord, I trust You completely to meet my needs in Your timing and according to Your methods. I lay down my selfish hopes, my dreams and desires. Make them in my life in such a way that they reveal Your will for my life. I will continue to obey You by the Power of Holy Spirit and confessing that you will care for all my needs, You have never failed me. Thank You Lord for your wisdom, power and grace, in Jesus’ name.
Closing comment: In time Job received a new vision of God Job 42:5, the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends, as God had instructed him. God assumed full responsibility for his needs – for our needs when we obey Him. Life will have its highs and lows, there will be times of delight and tragedies. But through it all, God is there – and so are His blessings for faithful obedience. Amen.
“When we trust God’s promises, we won’t demand explanations.”
D.B.