What Five Minutes in the Midst of Job Can Do
Wading through the advice of Job’s friends and Job’s own
wishes that he’d never been born, you come across words you little expect from
the heart of a man deep in the wilderness of pain and suffering.
Early on in his pain, Job worshiped God.
Everything was taken away. But Job still held on to what he knew about God.
“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed by the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)
Some suggest he was still in shock.
Maybe it hadn’t hit him fully that all of his possessions
and all his children (all of them!) were gone.
Maybe that’s why he was able to worship.
If you’ve ever experienced a chronic situation, you
can place yourself in his shoes several days down the road.
The initial shock is over.
His friends have shared their opinions.
His faith is wearing thin.
. . . But Job
still worships God.
He supports his
wavering faith with a two-pronged truth—a truth that has to go hand-in-hand:
God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.
(Job 9:4)
Wise.
Mighty.
Two truths about God we can be grateful are both
part of His being.
J.I. Packer once wrote, “In God boundless wisdom and endless power are united, and this makes Him utterly worthy of our fullest trust.”
God is “immortal, invisible.”
And He’s the “only wise God” (1 Timothy 1:17).
He is worthy of
our trust, because He’s the powerfully wise God who unites His wisdom and power
to move on our behalf and for His glory.
Nothing He ever allows is outside His wise plan. Nothing He wisely does is accomplished apart from His strength.
He orchestrates our world in perfect wisdom. He rides the heavens to our help (Deut. 33:26).
A wise God.
A strong God.
Two truths about God Job basked in when he was deep in
the midst of His suffering.
Faith falters. Worship wanes. And life-sized
questions loom.
But the two-pronged reminder that “God is wise” and “God is strong” can support any day.
Remembering who He
is will always uphold our minutes.
Take five minutes to bolster your faith.
Bask in the truth that our God is both wise and strong.
Fully trustworthy.
“O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In
wisdom You have made them all.
. . . Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
(Psalm 104:24; Genesis 18:14)
Related Posts: Distracted by Stillness
Jerry Bridges in his book "Trusting God Even When Life Hurts" added a third prong to God's wisdom and might. His love. He quoted someone else in expressing how this relates to us: "God in His love always wills what is best for us. In His wisdom He always knows what is best, and in His sovereignty He has the power to bring it about." Indeed, He is "fully trustworthy."
ReplyDeleteYes! Definitely, His love is what binds those two prongs together. We couldn't be grateful enough for who He is. Thank you, Violet. :-)
DeleteThank you both, Bethany and Violet!!! What a comfort to us all!
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