Heavy Questions

"My heart is awed within me when I think

Of the great miracle that still goes on,

In silence, round me--the perpetual work

Of thy creation, finished, yet renewed forever.

Written on thy works I read

The lesson of thy own eternity."

William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878)

One of the books of the Bible I've turned to the most in my faith journey is the Book of Job. That might seem a strange book to be encouraged by, but my heart is always encouraged when I read chapters 38 and 39.

In those chapters God's power and control are magnificently presented as God questions Job. What a presentation of God's creation and His imagination in all that He created.

Many may see only Job's trials and anguish, but it's so much more. "God permitted Job's trials to prove that a person could love God for Himself without thought of reward, and that a loving, sovereign God is always in control though our own knowledge and understanding are limited." Sidlow, Explore the Bible.

Last week I had the opportunity to read those chapters aloud, and as always my heart was encouraged.

God's questions about creation, nature, stars and clouds in the heavens and the ways of the animals and birds shows His masterful creation in all it's beauty and purpose.

The Liberty Bible Commentary says it this way about chapters 38 and 39: " . . . are a relation of mystery and grandeur of creation, and by implication the might and wisdom required of a God who could create such a universe. In contract to all of this, man appears weak, finite, and very limited in understanding indeed. The comparison of the Creator's greatness and man's creatureness is not lost on Job."

Job 38:22: "Have you entered the treasures of the snow." I LOVE snow! For it's beauty. For it's refreshment as it falls. For it's cleanness and purity. Most of all I like that "God will make our sins as white as snow." Isaiah 1:18 "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." And in this hot 80 and 90 degree weather, snow sure feels good to me! Jerry calls snow "falling whispers."

The Matthew Henry Commentary says: "In the clouds the snow and hail are generated, and thence they come in such abundance that one would think there were treasures of them laid up in store there, whereas indeed they are produced for the occasion."

Our God is Almighty, Powerful, True and in control of all things. Just because we don't know what He is doing, we know for sure that He is doing all things good and right. Job 38 and 39 remind me of that!

"I had a million questions to ask God: but when I met Him, they all fled my mind; and it didn't seem to matter."

Christopher Morley

"The big lesson to be learned from the Book of Job is that man does not know the reason for the things going on in his life, but he should trust the Lord at all times. Man can never plumbed the depths of God, and how God deals with each man and all men, therefore man is encouraged to look steadfastly at the Lord, trust Him and be devoted to Him because God is loving and merciful and all of his purposes are part of His ultimate plan which no one can understand."

Bible-History

My friend, Carol, was familiar with a song that I wrote about in my last blog post. The name of the song is: Trust His Heart, and she added two lines to the verse I posted. I listened to the song on YouTube. It has some soothing and inspiring lyrics. I share these words once again:

God is too wise to be mistaken

God is too good to be unkind

So when you don't understand

When you don't see His plan

When you can't trace His hand

Trust His Heart

You can find the song at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWk8DRwDYDc

God's heavy questions reassures me that God is in control of all things. "Do you know what footings were set or who laid the earth's cornerstone?" And while God did this "the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy!" 38:6-7

Be encouraged!