God Speaks Now to Job
38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2 “Who is this that darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
3 “Now gird up your loins like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you [a]have understanding,
5 Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
6 “On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?8 “Or who enclosed the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
9 When I made a cloud its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 And I [b]placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
11 And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther;
And here shall your proud waves stop’?
I said before that Job’s friends were off-base when they reprimanded Job for questioning God. They couldn’t believe the audacity Job showed when he asked God to tell him why all these troubles had come upon him. I said of anyone in the world who could handle our questions and our anger, there is no one better than God.
Yet when God finally answers Job out of a raging whirlwind, one might start to question that advice. Maybe Job made God angry? Maybe he’s about to be struck dead, and this is all for nought… No, I stand by my belief that God can take anything we throw at Him. After all, He even took our sin and nailed it to the cross to restore our relationship.
But there are a couple important things to remember nevertheless. First, when we take our anger and complaints to God, it’s not a one-sided conversation. Certainly, let it all out, God already knows what you’re thinking, He knows how much you hurt, and it does no good to bottle it up inside. Then listen, and just wait. I know I don’t do enough of that, and if we want to follow and trust God, then we need to hear what He is telling us.
Second, we need to remember what God said through Isaiah, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways…” Be prepared to not understand all of God’s plans, don’t be dismayed when you can’t make sense of what He is doing. His ways are so far beyond our comprehension, yet in all things He is working through us and for us.
So listen for His voice, and hear what God has to say to you today. You probably won’t get a lot of explanations, but don’t let that discourage you. Trust in His plan, and let Him make you a part of it. Let God mold and shape you into the masterpiece He created you to be.