"I'm in Charge of the Universe!"

In chapter 40 we find God speaking again from the
eye of the storm. Picture Job sitting there with his
friends as the wind howls, the lightning flashes, the
thunder booms--then God speaks out of the drama.
I imagine that Job and his friends tremble as they
listen to the words of God. Oh, yes, Job's friends
heard all of it.

"Do you presume to tell me what I'm doing wrong?
Are you calling Me a sinner so you can be a saint?
Go ahead, show your stuff.
Let's see what you're made of, what you can do.
Unleash your outrage.
Target the arrogant and lay them flat.
Stop the wicked in their tracks--make mince meat
of them...
I'll gladly step aside and hand things over to you--
You can surely save yourself with no help from me!"

God then spends many verses describing the Leviathan,
a beast of the sea, then He says to Job:

"If you can't hold your own against his glowering visage,
how, then, do you expect to stand up to me?"

"Who could confront Me and get away with it?
I'm in charge of all this--
I RUN this universe!"

Well, dear reader, I have nothing to say.

Speechless

God continues to question Job through chapter 39:

"God then confronted Job directly.
'Now what do you have to say for yourself?
Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into
court and press charges?'"

"Job answered?
"I'm speechless, in awe--words fail me.
I should never have opened my mouth!
I've talked too much.
I'm ready to shut up and listen.'"

Job is in awe. He is essentially speechless. All the wind
has gone out of him in the presence of the Creator,
the Almighty, Sovereign God!

Dear reader, check out the last few chapters of Job.
Sit down, read slowly and ponder the pictures that
rise in your mind. God is so very descriptive.

Pull Yourself Together, Job!

God's answer to Job:

"Pull yourself together, Job!
Up on your feet, stand tall!
I have some questions for you,
And I want some straight answers.

Where were you when I created the earth...?
Have you ever ordered morning, 'get up...?'
Have you ever gotten to the true bottom of things,
or explored the labyrinthine caves of deep ocean?
Do you know the first thing about death?
Do you know where darkness comes from and 
where light lives?
Have you traveled where the snow is made?
Can you find your way to where lightning is launched.
or to the place from which the wind blows?
Can you teach the lioness to stalk her prey
and satisfy the appetite of her cubs?"
(Excerpts from Job 38 in The Message)

The storm, the booming voice, the questions...
Job is speechless.

I remember a day when I was stomping around the
dining room complaining to God about my kids leaving
and not coming back soon enough or long enough for
my satisfaction. I was startled by the booming voice of
God: "Your children are mine, I am their God!"

My Personal Storm

This past Monday night I flew into Dulles Airport
from San Diego with a couple of friends. Glen was
waiting in the cell phone lot for my call. It was rainy
and cold and I was so hyped over getting home and
going to bed. The clock read 9:30 and we were forty
minutes from my desired destination.

Jane: "Hey, Honey, I'm ready for pick-up
Glen: "The car won't start.
Jane: "You have got to be kidding!"
Glen: "No, but I wish I was. When I pushed the
start button all kinds of lights blinked on the dash-
board, the gas gage went from two bars to one then
blinked before going to zero. Now all is dark.
Jane: "Let me find the Greens and I will call you back."
(That was not exactly what I was thinking...)

Our friends graciously offered to take us home even
though it was in the wrong direction for them. We left
the Prius unlocked until it could be picked up the next
day and transported to Toyota. Danny called me later to
let me know that the car had no fuel in it, the battery
had died, and as a result the car engine was now full of sludge.
Danny said that it appeared we had ignored the blinking
light on the dashboard warning us of impending doom,
but the gas gage said we had plenty of fuel and we had
only driven 300 miles. It took most of my day to deal with
the car issues and my "to do" list went out the window.
Glen called the next day to set the record straight, because,
for us to let a Prius run out of gas was unthinkable! (I grew
up with a Dad who told me he would not come and pick me
up if I ran out of gas!) Danny finally admitted that the battery
might have given us the wrong fuel information. However, his
explanation did not pay for the damage due to the sludge.

As I have pondered our adventure I realize that the car could
have run out of gas on the highway either coming or going,
but it didn't. It died in a cell phone lot making it more safe to
leave overnight, and easy to pick up the next day. Half the key
was left behind in the ignition, so I did not have to get a ride to
the airport to meet the tow truck. God was in the midst of
my personal storm.  He always is....

The Storm

When we left Job a few weeks ago he was still
suffering from assaults on his body and assaults
from his friends. (We have no idea what happened
to his wife!) His questions had not been answered.
He has not yet had "his day in court." We don't know
if Job suffered for days, months, or years. If you
missed my first few blogs on the book of Job, go
back to the beginning where God interviews Satan
and then Satan is given permission to do whatever
he wants with Job--except to take his life. Job is
clueless.

I have decided to leave Job's friends behind as we
have certainly picked up their philosophy on suffering!
So, fast forward to the first verse of Job 38:

"And now, finally, God answers Job from the eye
of a violent storm."

This is not what I would expect from a loving God.
A storm? Really? Job's life was a storm of terrible
events. Where was God all this time? But now,
perhaps, Job will get his questions answered!

The Sanctuary

Well, I was going to go back to Job, but this morning I
found myself again in Psalm 73. Asaph was bitter until he
entered into the sanctuary. Do you realize, reader, that we
are the sanctuary of God? Since Jesus died and rose again
God has made Himself available to all who put their trust
in what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

"He who knew no sin became sin that we might become 
the righteousness of God."

He actually comes and dwells within us and so whether we
feel His presence or not, He is always available and is always
speaking.

It is so easy for me to forget Whose I am, Who lives within.
I forget Him and take on the perspective of time instead of
the perspective of Eternity--and I grumble. Asaph entered
into the sanctuary, but I need only to turn inside and speak
to Him who dwells within. So simple...

Asaph is Satisfied

Back to Asaph as we listen to his confession:

"When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

YET, I am always with You.
You hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,
And afterward you will take me
into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And earth has nothing I desire
besides You.

My flesh and my heart fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."
(Psalm 73:21-26)

These six verses are why I LOVE this psalm!
Asaph sees his own heart and then he sees the
heart of God--and he worships. Repentance is
changing direction, and it always ends in
worship.

Well, what about Job?