Who God Is
By David A. Wheeler
Introduction
Since November 2009, I was pressed in my spirit with the
question of ”Who God is?” I was drawn back to Job 38-42. After much loss,
distress, and grief God reminds Job of who He is and why Job can trust Him. I
just wanted to take some time here and share some thoughts. You may want to
read this selection of Scripture prior to continuing.
The book of Job has 42 chapters and most of those chapters
are filled with Job mourning his loss, being counseled by friends, nagged by
his wife (Curse God and die), and questioning his relationship with God. The
first few chapters give us a glimpse of the inner workings of heaven, and the
last few chapters reassure us to trust in God. My focus is primarily on the
last few chapters. I was impressed that 2010 would be a year that we begin to
see God respond to all that our nation faces and we as individuals face.
While the bulk of these final chapters raise our confidence
in God, I believe the primary message of the day is found in Job 38:3 which
implies that we are to stand up and act like a warrior. When you study the word
“Man” in verse 3 you see that it could be interpreted “warrior.” I’m sure we
have all heard by now the American Idol audition “Pants on the Ground?” The
encouragement here found in Job 38:3 is similar – Gird up your loins! Get your
pants off the ground. Ready yourself! Let’s not prolong our state of dismay,
questioning, and bondages of grief so long that the Lord will require us to
answer questions that will only serve as a reminder of who He is and why we can
trust Him! Job, I’m sure was startled when God shows up and like any good
soldier will do when their commanding officer walks in the room they are called
to attention. I would prefer to change my posture now and remember who God is –
Creator God – and why we can trust Him – His love for us is endless.
In a society of instant grits, mashed potatoes, and coffee;
a society of fast food, one-day dry cleaners, and other creature comforts; a
society of email, cell phones, text messaging and instant news we are lead to
put our timetable on God. I believe in an instantaneous God who is able to
create all things in seven days, but we must remember that God’s time table is
eternity! We want everything to work on our time table which is if we are lucky
80-90 years. Much more so, our time table of expecting God to act on our behalf
is within an hour. Oh, if we could only learn to wait on God, trust Him and
remember who God is!
Our Focus
When we focus on ourselves we can only see what we have
lost. When we focus on God we realize all that we can obtain. This life is too
short for us to remain focused on what has been lost. While grief is a
necessary process for human emotional healing, we should not remain in that
state. God is about healing and replacing what has been lost or stolen. But
today, many seem stuck in unnatural grief over things that have little meaning.
This state of grief will conquer any good soldier and bind them to a life of
misery, criticalness, and complaining. When you experience the loss of a loved
one who has been in your life for over 50 years – grief is appropriate. Be sure
you are emotionally appropriate in the sense of loss you are experiencing.
When we focus on God we realize all that we can obtain and
our purpose and destiny are restored. Choose life! Choose life! Choose life!
(Deuteronomy 30:19-20) When we focus on God we can’t help but embrace life. We
are promised not just life, but abundant life (John 10:10). Our focus has no
need of spectacles in order to see clearly. God’s nature is before us night and
day. We have been given the wonderful opportunity to examine all the works of
God for ourselves. His workmanship is precise. From the micro to the macro man
has yet to reach the end of God’s creative work. Man has developed the most powerful
of microscopes and examined genetics and the very basis of life, but they have
not yet reached the end of their discovery. Man has the Hubble Telescope and
sent space probes into space and they have not yet reached the end of their
discovery. Why are we focused on so few of things when we are called to focus
on Creator God?
Supreme Judge
In all forms of dispute there is a final word given. Without
a judge or final authority these conflicts can lead beyond a verbal exchange
into something more physical then the strongest and/or smartest opponent wins.
In the case of Job, the final authority is God who is petitioned in Chapter 1
for the testing of His servant Job, but now shows Himself as the final Judge
beginning in Chapter 38. In the beginning was God and in the end it will be
God. All the rest is just a man’s commiseration over his circumstances and lot
in life. How much time do we waist focused on our loss when all that is
required of us is to turn and trust the living God? So, there are several things
we can begin to learn regarding “Who God is?”
First, God is in control. No matter what the circumstance,
no matter how great the loss, no matter what we observe in the natural, God is
in control! Over the course of our life we maintain control of all that is
within our reason and we try to control all that is outside of our reason. But,
control must be yielded to God. God is a jealous God. He wants, requires, and
expects all the praise. If you can accomplish all that is before you without
His help, then what need is there of God. Life is full of opportunities to
yield control to God and watch Him perform. I have witnessed His grace, mercy,
blessings and judgments in my own life. Control will not be demanded by Him,
but is a necessary requirement to come into full alignment with all that is
His. The earth is the Lords and the fullness there of. While much could be
written on yielding control to God, for the sake of this writing, I must leave
this to a later thought. Regardless of what is going on, God desires to be in
control of all that is going on in our lives, so that He can be praised!
Second, God is patient. For 37 chapters God patiently
endures man’s reasoning and grief. Most theologians agree this is about nine
months. While we commiserate our loss, scorned by our loved ones, and seek
wisdom and advice from earthly men God is patiently waiting to be called on or
to reveal Himself. After 37 chapters of this God reveals Himself. It takes him
four chapters to reveal Himself and remind Job of who He is and just one of
those chapters to restore. Four chapters to respond to all Job had experienced.
The outcome is still the same. The end result is that God reveals Himself.
While some believe this process is necessary for us to gain light in our human
experiences, I do not believe God wants us to grieve for long periods of time,
be despondent, and unable to function. Why would we want to endure 37 chapters
of our life in this state of mind, when the answer is before us continually?
Why do we often put ourselves through all this pain when the pain remover is
right in front of us? If we can shorten life’s chapters of misery and embrace
life’s chapters of hope, love and peace much more quickly, we will live a
happier life!
Third, you can trust Him. Even though you have lost
everything and God seems absent in the midst of your grief, He will show up! He
has proven Himself to you over and over again. He will show up! When you least
expect it, He will show up! In ways you cannot imagine or think, He will show up!
God shows up in ways that are miraculous beyond comprehension and without human
reason. God shows up in ways which prevent man from taking the credit. God
delights in the surprise and revels in the praise! You can trust Him. When the
disciples were tossed at sea Jesus comes walking on the water instead of riding
in a boat. When the disciples gathered in the upper room the Holy Spirit
descends instead of walking through the door. While Job is sitting in sack
cloth and ashes God does not come in a natural sense, but appears in a
whirlwind. Quit expecting God to come within your finite natural beliefs and
expectations. Start believing in the supernatural. God will show up! You can
trust Him!
Another characteristic we can observe here is the God is
Supreme Judge. The book begins before the Supreme Judge and ends before the
Supreme Judge. God is supreme! In the beginning the stage is set for a battle
of the ages. In the end, the opponent, Satan, is proven wrong and the Judge,
God, reveals Himself supreme. In the middle, man must not forget “who God is.”
We each live out our own discovery of who God is. In every battle before the
court, the judge, and ultimately the supreme judge has final say. There is an
absolute truth that the end will prove God as Supreme Judge. Man hangs in the
balance of life’s choices, will man choose God, or will he not. Satan does not
possess a choice. His fate has already been set by the Supreme Judge. Each
individual must make a choice between Good and Evil, life with God and life
without God. The choice is simply set before us we choose God or not choose
God, but ultimately the Supreme Judge will rule on the condition of each man’s
heart and His judgment if final.
Another understanding we can gain here regarding who God is,
is that ultimately God Speaks. Job sat in silence while God was speaking. Wow!
“Be still and know that I am God” Hmmm. Maybe we should follow Job’s example.
Be silent. How can you argue with the Supreme Judge? How can you defend
yourself with the maker of justice? How can you reason with your finite mind
with an infinite God? Our ways are foolishness to Him, but His ways are just.
Sometimes we need to just shut up! Listen for a change. Throughout the 37
chapters Job called upon God and requested Him to make sense of what Job was
experiencing. Even Job’s friends in chapter 9:7 desired for God to speak.
Elihu’s discourse helped prepare Job for God’s response, but ultimately God
speaks! Prepare yourself to hear what God is speaking now! Listen, be silent,
and open your heart and mind to receive what God is saying NOW! When God speaks
there is nothing you can add to it, nothing you can take away, you must simply
listen, respond, and resound what He has said. There is no defense of past
actions, words or deeds. He is justice. When we listen to God we are humble,
repentant, and thankful for all He has done for us, all He continues to do for
us and all He has yet to do for us. With this we can’t help but proclaim what a
magnificent God He is.
Get Your Pants Off the Ground!
In chapters 38-41, there is a constant comparison between
man and God’s accomplishments. How can you compare eternity with our own time?
How can you compare man’s creative work and accomplishments with God’s creative
work and accomplishments? How can you compare a finite man with an infinite
God? How can you compare man’s ability to be in only one place, when God is
everywhere, omnipresent? How can we compare man’s power with God’s power,
omnipotence? Oh, but we constantly do. We are constantly falling prey to this
scheme of thinking: we know better, we create better, we can be in all places,
we can do all things. When will we wise up? When will we see that our only
position is to remain humble before Him who is Supreme?!
As we begin to examine a little more closely, we see in
38:2-3 there is given a call to attention. When God begins to speak there is a
reason to assume a position of respect and honor. When the judge walks into the
courtroom we hear the call “All Rise!” When the President, regardless of the
person, comes into the room it is instinctive, regardless of your thoughts of
the person, to rise in respect of the office, power, and presence he
represents. When an officer of greater rank in the military service you serve
approaches or enters the room you are in, there is a natural response to rise.
This is the call given to Job out of a whirlwind, Stand Up! When God begins to
speak there is reason for us to give rise and listen to what He has to say. I’m
sure at this moment Job is startled, in the midst of his ramblings and counsel,
to a living God showing up on the scene. This reverent fear found its place in
Job. God is basically saying, “Enough! Get your pants off the ground and
listen. I have something to say. ”
Reasons to Believe
The first declarations by God is all that Job knew nothing
about: Creating of the earth (vs 4-7), setting the boundaries of the sea (vs
8-11), commanding the morning light (vs 12-15), exploring the springs of the
sea and recesses of the deep (vs 16-21), treasures in the snow, hail and rain
(22-27), director of the rain and other elements (v28-30,34-35,37-38), the
orchestrating of heaven’s stars (vs 31,33), the giving of wisdom (vs 36),
making provisions for the lion and the ravens (vs 39-41). Wow, consider all
that God has created. How can we dare think that man’s counsel or our own mind
is superior or even grasp all that God knows and has planned? God’s supremacy
must stand in the forefront of our minds.
When God Speaks
So, now let me paint the picture. Job is sitting in sack
cloth and ashes after losing every earthly thing that mattered to him in
addition to his own health. He has been crying, perplexed and has had a painful
time of it to say the least. His friends have tried to help him make sense of
it all. His wife is hurt, confused, and said, “curse God and die.” Job, after
enduring all of this still sits for nine months having no answer. But, God, the
answer to his loss and problems is there the whole time. The promise of God is
that He will never leave you or forsake you. In the midst of Job’s misery, God
speaks. Not a created being, but God. Not some other friend, but God. Not just
any God, but The Lord God Jehovah: The eternal Word himself speaks, creator of
all things, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the one whose words formed the
universe and all that is in it. You may think that E. F. Hutton coined the
phase of when they speak everybody listens, but it was actually the Supreme God
who coined the phrase. God begins by reminding Job of the creative work He has
performed and also reminding Job of God’s provisions for Israel when they were
enslaved with Egypt. God is reminding Job that God is in control and that Job
should remain submitted to Him. In times past, God chose to speak to mankind
with some form of earthly condition. For Moses it was the burning bush, for Job
it is the whirlwind, but nonetheless God speaks. There are several other
occasions that the use of a whirlwind is recorded: Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel
1:4), Elijah’s vision (I Kings 19:11). I’m sure at this moment Job stood and
his bones were shaking so bad that the ashes fell off.
Nahum 1:3:
3The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will by no
means clear the guilty. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm,
and the clouds are the dust of His feet.
Job 33:14:
14For God [does reveal His will; He] speaks not only once,
but more than once, even though men do not regard it [including you, Job].
Elihu in his earlier discourse with Job made this statement
in Job 33:14. God is speaking! God is revealing His will! If we can just tune
in to the heavenly sound we will hear God speak! Many are wanting a word from
man, but it is God who is speaking. He will manifest Himself in a whirlwind to
get our attention, but we will need to listen. I’m sure if Job had tuned in a
little more to heaven and a little less to his circumstance he could have heard
God speak sooner. Listen! Listen! To what the Spirit of God is saying in the
earth. Listen! Listen! To His will as He proclaims it from the thrones of
heaven! Why is it that we do not listen to all that He is saying in the now!
Close your eyes and get in a quiet place! Open God’s word! Listen to what the
Supreme God of the universe is trying to say. Men will come and give you their
counsel and wisdom. Focus on God rather than our loss. Those closest to you
will challenge your thoughts. But, supernaturally, if you tune your ears on to
the heavenly sound you will hear God Himself speak to you! I think there are
too many times we are tuning into and looking for God to speak through men, and
He often does, but we need to tune in and listen to the heavenly where God is
speaking!
Back to Job and the whirlwind. Can you imagine how God is
amused by all of us? Our understanding is so far beneath that of His. As a
parent inwardly laughs at their children’s discovery of simple things, I’m sure
God is amused by our discoveries and conversations regarding our circumstances.
Who can fathom the depths of His knowledge? After all of this amusement God
begins to bring clarity and God Speaks. At first we may only begin to hear the
rumblings of His coming, but God will come and God will speak. Elihu in Job 37
hears God coming and even says in verse 9 that He is coming in a whirlwind.
What we may interpret as a storm may mean God is coming in that storm to speak.
I know that from time to time at my house when a storm is raging outside and
the wind is blowing that it can get quite noisy. Even the noise made by an air
conditioner can drown out normal house hold conversation. Here I think it is no
different. The whirlwind causes us to stop our conversation and take note of
what is going on around us. I’m sure with that whirlwind it was not quiet, yet
God’s voice is still heard. God knows how to get our attention. God spoke directly
with Job.
Job now finds himself in a position I hope never to obtain.
I never want to get so focused on all the wrong that is going on around me that
I lose sight of a sovereign God! The place of humility is where we must remain.
In Job 38:4-11, God asks Job where were you when I created the world? God the
creator of all things, is here just asking Job a simple question regarding the
creation of the world which is only a small part of God’s creative works and
Job cannot not answer, but to say that I was nothing, I was nowhere, and I had
no one until you created this for mankind. I can imagine Job’s thoughts going
“I was just a thought of yours God.” God created not only the earth, but the
foundations of the earth! Where were you? Job had accomplished much and had
lost much, but God’s accomplishments far outweigh all that Job had done. We are
contemptible to dare think that what we accomplish can be compared to God’s
accomplishments. God did not surround himself with engineers, scientist,
architects, or carpenters, yet the universe is well made. Neither is He looking
for man’s wisdom in His judgments.
Ecclesiastes 3:14 (Amplified)
14I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing
can be added to it nor anything taken from it. And God does it so that men will
[reverently] fear Him [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is].
Psalm 65:8 (Amplified Bible)
8So that those who dwell in earth's farthest parts are
afraid of [nature's] signs of Your presence. You make the places where morning
and evening have birth to shout for joy.
Have you ever heard a star sing? God has. God commanded the
light to shine out of darkness to the lower world that was without form. The
stars sang! We have so much to learn. God’s creative work and power is to be
celebrated. The more we abound in holy, humble, thankful, joyful praise, the
more we do the will of God. We should be unanimous in our singing God’s
praises; in one accord, in harmony and on key. The sweetest concerts are in
praising God! God will be eternally praised. Get your praise on! Heaven is
nothing but praising God! Get your praise on here. In high school my band
director would correct us if we said the phrase, “Practice makes perfect.” He
would retort, “Perfect practice, makes perfect.” We should strive for perfect
practice of praising God here on earth! Get your praise on! Get your praise on!
Get your praise on!
Psalm 54:6-7
6With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to You; I will
give thanks and praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7For He has delivered
me out of every trouble, and my eye has looked [in triumph] on my enemies.
Job is reminded of God’s work on the third day in Genesis
1:9 when God commanded the waters and set their boundaries. Out of the great
deep or chaos, in which earth and water were intermixed, in obedience to the
divine command the waters broke forth like those when a women begins birth of a
child in her womb. God clothes the earth with clouds and manages the raging
sea. The earth was made with purpose in mind; mountains, valleys, seas and
oceans all were made with purpose. Some of these purposes we have yet to
discover. Peace should be found in just knowing that the resilience of the
created earth is powerful. Man’s predictions of recovery from man-made
disasters like the Exxon Valdese were exaggerated. Today’s disaster gives rise
once again to man’s predictions. The sea has already begun to disperse the oil
and fix itself. Yes, we are called to be good stewards over the earth. Yes, we
should respond with all that is within our ability, but do not lose sight of
the creative power of God still at work. Secular thought often diminishes the
sovereignty of God.
Consider the sea. How vast it is, yet God’s commands still
control it. Sometimes the violence in which the oceans reach in the midst of
storms can instill the thought that nothing is in control, but God’s power is
still in control. God has it all under His watchful eye. The wave rise no
higher nor the tides roll no further than permitted by a living God. In this
Job’s thoughts could have returned to consideration of God’s mercy. It is only
by God’s hand that the seas are stayed. Twice a day we are reminded of this
boundary as the tides roll in and roll out. It is only by His mercy that we are
not just done away with in our untrusting states of being. Oh God! Continue to
have mercy upon us. May we recognize the works of Your hands and the continued
works of Your hands and reverently fear and trust You!
Jeremiah 5:22 (Amplified Bible)
22Do you not fear and reverence Me? says the Lord. Do you
not tremble before Me? I placed the sand for the boundary of the sea, a
perpetual barrier beyond which it cannot pass and by an everlasting ordinance
beyond which it cannot go? And though the waves of the sea toss and shake
themselves, yet they cannot prevail [against the feeble grains of sand which
God has ordained by nature to be sufficient for His purpose]; though [the
billows] roar, yet they cannot pass over that [barrier]. [Is not such a God to
be reverently feared and worshiped?]
Psalm 115
1NOT TO us, O Lord, not to us but to Your name give glory,
for Your mercy and loving-kindness and for the sake of Your truth and
faithfulness!
2Why should the nations say, Where is now their God?
3But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.
4The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of
men's hands.
5They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but
they see not;
6They have ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but
they smell not;
7They have hands, but they handle not; feet have they, but
they walk not; neither can they make a sound with their throats.
8They who make idols are like them; so are all who trust in
and lean on them.(A)
9O Israel, trust and take refuge in the Lord! [Lean on, rely
on, and be confident in Him!] He is their Help and their Shield.
10O house of Aaron [the priesthood], trust in and lean on
the Lord! He is their Help and their Shield.
11You who [reverently] fear the Lord, trust in and lean on
the Lord! He is their Help and their Shield.
12The Lord has been mindful of us, He will bless us: He will
bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of Aaron [the priesthood],
13He will bless those who reverently and worshipfully fear
the Lord, both small and great.(B)
14May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your
children.
15May you be blessed of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth!
16The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth has He
given to the children of men.
17The dead praise not the Lord, neither any who go down into
silence.
18But we will bless (affectionately and gratefully praise)
the Lord from this time forth and forever. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
God is so kind in His loving questions to Job which in fact
bring Job to remembrance of his own ignorance. When we just begin to ponder the
things God has performed and remember who He is, these interrogatories will
soon bring us to know that nothing compares with God. When we think of light
and ponder its existence, the rotation of the earth and all the planets of the
universe, the necessity of night, the welcoming of morning, the timing of it
all and how perfect it remains, we are compelled to believe in the supreme
being, God. These are things that man cannot alter regardless of how hard he
tries or what knowledge he gains. Light reveals what was in the darkness.
Nothing is more comfortable to mankind than the light of the morning. In every
movie and struggle of mankind the morning light is a welcomed relief. Light is
pleasant to the eyes, is necessary for life and just a glimmer dispels all
darkness. Darkness is for those who perform evil and they hate light, but God
ministers justice through light. Light shakes the wicked out of the earth.
Job is asked if he has explored the springs of the sea.
Psalm 77:19 (Amplified Bible)
19Your way [in delivering Your people] was through the sea,
and Your paths through the great waters, yet Your footsteps were not traceable,
but were obliterated.
Job, have you viewed through the open gate of death? Death
is a grand secret. We do not know when or how but God knows. Can we not trust
one who has such knowledge? Many have tried to describe death. Many have tried
to describe how the knot of soul and body is loosed and how the spirit of man
goes upward.
Ecclesiastes 3:21 (Amplified Bible)
21Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and
the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward to the earth?
Many books, movies and thought have been devoted to the
discovery of what lies beyond the open gates of death. We have great curiosity
as to how the soul of man is launched into the vast ocean of eternity and given
to the unseen abyss. Be sure that you are right with God and at the end of the
abyss you find the gates of heaven open to you. In addition, be free from the
fear of death by having confidence in your relationship with a living God.
Job 38:18 – asks the question of the breadth of the earth.
The dimensions of which most scientist agree, but are they right? Can they give
measure to all of God’s creative work? Can they tell us with exact knowledge
the breadth of the universe? Where does it begin; where does it end? Job in his
day had not sailed around the world, nor ventured far from his native land. Man
has yet to discover the fullness of all God’s creative work. The divine
perfection is longer and broader than the universe in which earth can be found.
Who are we, who have no real knowledge of these things to think that we can
dive into and understand the depth of God’s counsel, justice, and plan?
Oh now Job is directed to turn towards the treasures of snow
and hail. Sometimes hail and snow can come in such vast quantities that you
wonder where they were hidden. Those of us living near or at the St. John’s
Town Center a few years ago have a real understanding of this. I’m reminded of
Joshua 10:11 where hailstones from heaven were sent by God and slew more men
than the Israelites did. It is foolish to strive against God. The elements are
at His command. God’s weapons are vast: hail, rain, locust, thunder and lightning
or the sword of an angel or men. God’s arsenal is powerful and vast. Who are we
to question when evil assails and destroys all that we have, if God is able to
fight? Stones in a little boy’s hands become giant slaying weapons when God is
in it!
Man is Weak, But God is Strong!
Job is now well aware of his ignorance and now God begins to
reveal how ineffective and weak man is without God. Understanding that all is
at the hands of God’s mercy and providence will enable us to surrender
completely all that we have or face. Remember God told job – Stand up, pull up
your pants and act like a warrior. Surrender and the realization that we are in
the hands of God’s mercy does not render us powerless or without course of
action. We are to fight! Fight not against God, but with God! With great
confidence we should enter into this battle with God as our lead.
Recognize how great God is! He has sovereign dominion over
all created things (beginning in Job 38:25). Even when all we see looks like
God has lost control. God does not neglect anything, even the wilderness and
desert, but insures that water all that is needed for life is sustained. The
earth became fruitful not by man tilling the ground, but by God watering the
earth (Genesis 2:5-6). God’s power and ability transcends man’s power and
ability. God is the father of rain! Rain on us Lord! We know God’s desire is
for us to prosper – In all ways. Much of prosperity is tied to our soul
prospering. Allow God to rain in your soul and then allow God to reign in your
life! Pray that the Lord would rain on your parade and bring life! Prepare for
the latter rain! Rain on us!
It is the providence of God that portions of the earth at
times are covered or congealed with ice and frost (Job 38:29-30). Some water is
hidden by the frozen water or ice. Sometimes ice is so thick, so strong that
covers the waterso much so that man has difficulty piercing it. Even in the
depths of the ocean there is ice at times. So, can you trust a God who is able
to control the temperature? Can you embrace the miracle of the changing of
water from one state of matter to the next? If you heat it the water changes to
steam, if you chill it the water turns to ice. Man can bring about the change
in the matter, but the matter (in this case water) must first be created. What
a wonderful work! Our minds sometimes get so focused on the matter that we lose
sight of what matters. Sometime we focus on the created and lose our focus of
the Creator!
Zechariah 10
1ASK OF the Lord rain in the time of the latter or spring
rain. It is the Lord Who makes lightnings which usher in the rain and give men
showers, and grass to everyone in the field.
In comparison, we are weak because we cannot cause one rain
shower. We can speak to the clouds all day but nothing happens. God in one
moment can cause it to rain for a life time. We do know that if we call on God
in prayer for rain. We cannot demand it, but must wait expectantly on God.
Jeremiah 14:22 (Amplified Bible)
22Are there any among the false gods of the nations who can
cause rain? Or can the heavens [of their own will] give showers? Are You
[alone] not He, O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait [expectantly] for You,
for You have made all these things [the heavens and the rain].
Hosea 2:21:
21And in that day I will respond, says the Lord; I will
respond to the heavens [which ask for rain to pour on the earth], and they
shall respond to the earth [which begs for the rain it needs],
Even though God’s creative works cry out for rain, it is the
Lord and the Lord alone who will cause it to rain. Oh, how dependent are we on
this Supreme God. We are without hope if we do not recognize who God is. Job is
reminded in 38:35 that he cannot send one bolt of lightning to scare his
enemies. God’s wrath and the way it is poured out is not ours to command. Man’s
wrath has nothing to do with the righteousness of God (Luke 9:55).
It is interesting in Job 38:31-33, that God points to things
beyond our solar system. This indication was to demonstrate the vast reaches of
God’s power and control. He points to the fixed points of the stars. The
heavens are under His control. We understand that stars were set as signs and
seasons for man in Genesis 1:14. We cannot influence the stars even though we
can see them and use them. At any moment creator God can change the stars and
reorder them. Man is weak. Here on earth we are able to guide water in the
streams, redirect a river, create a dam and produce power, but God is able to
orchestrate the stars of heaven. Even more so, He can direct them with no
limits of His power. When the winter’s snow melts we struggle just to redirect
and manage the river, but God, has no limits. God will cause the even the stars
to fight for you as we see in the story of Sisera in Judges 4, and 5. Recognize
the weakness of man without God. In Job 38:33, Job is questioned if he knows
the laws (ordinances) of heaven. We live day to day with little concern of the
laws that govern the universe. We expect the sun to rise from the east and sit
in the west. We expect the moon to maintain its course and govern our tides.
The stars are just there. What holds them in place? What keeps the other
planets from shifting from their orbit? What causes the earth to rotate 365.25
days around the sun? It is God! Oh how weak man is when we begin to understand
who God is. God uses the earth as his footstool when He rest. What little thought
we put into all that He busies Himself with. We cannot begin to fathom the
enormous tasks which rest upon His shoulders. These tasks may seem huge in our
finite mind, but all of these are mere entertainment for Him who created. Can
you see who God is?
Psalm 147:4:
4He determines and counts the number of the stars; He calls
them all by their names.
Judges 5:20
20They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought
against Sisera.
In Job 38:36, we begin to see that God is the spring from
which all wisdom comes. Our rational souls are a result of a creative God. If
we can examine how great God is by the vastness of the universe and all it
holds and displays, can we also embrace the complexity of man and his inner
parts. Man has placed the telescopes, sent probes and landed on the moon, yet
he has only discovered at most a thimble full of what God has created. Man has
studied genetics, their order, and make up, yet he has only examined a minute
portion of the human body. Man has tried to explore the depths of the soul, but
can find no inner peace in all his knowledge without embracing a living,
creative God! It is only when we align our souls with the creator God that we
begin to understand how weak we are. Can we pretend to be wiser than God? We were
not designed to govern the universe and all that is within it. We were designed
to worship the creator, to praise Him for all He has done for us, to recognize
our dependence on Him and Him alone. Lately, it is only tragedy and world
disasters that drive men to their knees and humbles their hearts to search for
understanding and hope. It is at these times that we must be ready to introduce
a living, creative God.
As we examine further in Job 38:39-40, we see that God
provides for His creative works. All of chapter Job 39 is about God’s power and
His goodness towards His creative work. The shift that takes place becomes more
personal to man, because some of the creative works are under His control and
authority. But, God begins to expand man’s understanding of how little control
man has in these things. We can cage animals, kill them for food, clothing and
protection, yet it is still God who numbers the days the development of the
young in their bellies. In the wild, we need not feed the animals, because God
hunts prey for them. God supplies even the young and the birds. Everything is
dependent on Him. Ravens are much different than other birds. Once a Raven lays
her eggs and they hatch the adults leave. The cry of the young ravens is for
food. One would think that these birds would soon parish, yet they have lasted
for all of creation. It is God who feeds them. Some have said that the cry of
these young birds is a cry to God. I pray we never have to get that desperate
before we turn our prayers to heaven for a creative God to supply our needs.
Let us recognize Him now and pray now before the pains of hunger and
desperation humble us to our knees. Oh, these are just a few examples of what
God does every day and we are not made aware of them or take any thought of it.
How much more does He do?
Psalm 147:9:
9He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens
which cry.
Matthew 6:26:
26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do
they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye
not much better than they?
In chapter 39 the story continues with God revealing all
that He does and takes care of, but now in regards to the living creatures. In
this process He is revealing how little Job is. A humbling I wish never to
experience. In chapter 40, Job is now required to respond. In this Job gains a
firm understanding that there are vast differences between the created and the
Creator. In chapter 41, Job must fight the leviathan under the watchful eye of
the Creator. Through this Job is challenged in a physical sense his
powerlessness to govern the created. The book of Job is a struggle for many to
understand how a good man can be challenged in such a real way, but in chapter
42 we begin to witness the restoration of Job. Job first repents, then Job and
his friends gather together and forgive and make right their differences in
beliefs and interpretations and praise God, and last we see Job healed,
restored to a position of honor and has double what he had prior to his loss.
If we recognize who God is, we can trust what He can do, what He is willing to
do, and have faith in Him who can do it all. Whatever your loss, grief or
circumstance, turn to God the creator of all things and believe and trust in
Him!
Hebrews 13:5:
5Let your character or moral disposition be free from love
of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and
be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He
[God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor
leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any
degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on
you)! [Assuredly not!]
