Job 42:1-2 Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be witholden from thee.
That is so true Friends! All along, Job has been pleading to God to show up and justify him. Well, in Chap 38 God finally appears in a whirlwind but does the opposite to what Job wants. Through to 41, He challenges Job’s wisdom, upbraids and humbles him. ‘Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. (38:2-3) In Chap. 41, God asks him if he can figure out or control the power of what we today call a whale. ‘Canst thou draw out a leviathan with a hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? (41:1) Then He goes on to point out, in questions, all the things that man’s unable to do to such a large animal, and also what the animal lacks, intimating that through His superior power, He controls both the sea animal and man. Having heard God’s tirade, Job is humbled. He finally understands and submits to God. ‘I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be witholden from thee.’ It’s an incontestable truth people! God’s privy to all our thoughts, even before we think them, and neither can any purpose of His be thwarted by us. Abraham and Sarah also learned this through hard experience. When the angel of the Lord told Abraham that his wife Sarah would bear him a son, Sarah overheard and laughed to herself, because they were both well advanced in age. ‘And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh…Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.’ (Gen.18:13-15) Oh Friends, yuh see that! Sarah only laughed on the inside, but the Lord heard it. And to make matters worse, she denied it through fear of God’s reproach. And note too, He told them, ‘At the time appointed, I will return unto thee…’ That means the time wasn’t yet right. Whatever plans He had, weren’t ready to come to fruition. That just shows what an omnipotent, omnipresent, omni whatever you want to say, kind of God we worship! He knows and sees everything. He controls everything. Even when we don’t see or can’t understand what’s happening, the Most High God Jehovah is involved in some form and fashion. Nothing, yes people, nothing happens unless He allows it. That’s the lesson Job learned that day. He acquired a new respect, a new awareness of God’s wisdom, and how He operates mysteriously, with hidden plans unbeknown to men. This also brought him to a new understanding of his own wisdom; its limits and capabilities. He finally realizes that though he’s a decent enough person, he was just a tad too self righteous and pompous. ‘Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.’ (Job 42:3) Yes people, that surely sounds familiar eh? Many of us hold forth on subjects we really don’t know about, and when our ignorance is challenged, or pointed out, we get all hot and bothered. Let’s see if we can’t take a page from Job’s book nuh, and accept genuine criticism with a humble spirit? Job was so enlightened by the Lords powerful speech, that he declared: ‘I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee: Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.’ (Job 42:5-6) Yes Friends, Job’s spirit, his psyche, got a good jolt of God’s magnetism, which caused him to consider his ways and thoughts. He’s become more sensitive to his own sin, admitting that he had a limited perspective on things, and was now going to submit himself totally to God’s will and power. Oh that we can do likewise people. So many times we have no clue what’s really happening, how the Lord’s working behind the scenes on our behalf, and in our haste and ‘know it allness’ we say or do something that brings His displeasure upon us, like Job, and forces Him to wake us up some. When that happens, Friends, again like Job, let’s humbly admit our mistakes nuh, learn from them and move on to a higher plane of spiritual maturity. Remember, Jesus’ anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. ‘And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.’ (Mark 14:36) That’s a perfect example of how we ought to be people; pray for relief from our sorrows, but with the understanding that we’ll do whatever God wants. Much LOVE!…God’s will isn’t always easy…but He’s always there to help…
That is so true Friends! All along, Job has been pleading to God to show up and justify him. Well, in Chap 38 God finally appears in a whirlwind but does the opposite to what Job wants. Through to 41, He challenges Job’s wisdom, upbraids and humbles him. ‘Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. (38:2-3) In Chap. 41, God asks him if he can figure out or control the power of what we today call a whale. ‘Canst thou draw out a leviathan with a hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? (41:1) Then He goes on to point out, in questions, all the things that man’s unable to do to such a large animal, and also what the animal lacks, intimating that through His superior power, He controls both the sea animal and man. Having heard God’s tirade, Job is humbled. He finally understands and submits to God. ‘I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be witholden from thee.’ It’s an incontestable truth people! God’s privy to all our thoughts, even before we think them, and neither can any purpose of His be thwarted by us. Abraham and Sarah also learned this through hard experience. When the angel of the Lord told Abraham that his wife Sarah would bear him a son, Sarah overheard and laughed to herself, because they were both well advanced in age. ‘And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh…Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.’ (Gen.18:13-15) Oh Friends, yuh see that! Sarah only laughed on the inside, but the Lord heard it. And to make matters worse, she denied it through fear of God’s reproach. And note too, He told them, ‘At the time appointed, I will return unto thee…’ That means the time wasn’t yet right. Whatever plans He had, weren’t ready to come to fruition. That just shows what an omnipotent, omnipresent, omni whatever you want to say, kind of God we worship! He knows and sees everything. He controls everything. Even when we don’t see or can’t understand what’s happening, the Most High God Jehovah is involved in some form and fashion. Nothing, yes people, nothing happens unless He allows it. That’s the lesson Job learned that day. He acquired a new respect, a new awareness of God’s wisdom, and how He operates mysteriously, with hidden plans unbeknown to men. This also brought him to a new understanding of his own wisdom; its limits and capabilities. He finally realizes that though he’s a decent enough person, he was just a tad too self righteous and pompous. ‘Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.’ (Job 42:3) Yes people, that surely sounds familiar eh? Many of us hold forth on subjects we really don’t know about, and when our ignorance is challenged, or pointed out, we get all hot and bothered. Let’s see if we can’t take a page from Job’s book nuh, and accept genuine criticism with a humble spirit? Job was so enlightened by the Lords powerful speech, that he declared: ‘I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee: Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.’ (Job 42:5-6) Yes Friends, Job’s spirit, his psyche, got a good jolt of God’s magnetism, which caused him to consider his ways and thoughts. He’s become more sensitive to his own sin, admitting that he had a limited perspective on things, and was now going to submit himself totally to God’s will and power. Oh that we can do likewise people. So many times we have no clue what’s really happening, how the Lord’s working behind the scenes on our behalf, and in our haste and ‘know it allness’ we say or do something that brings His displeasure upon us, like Job, and forces Him to wake us up some. When that happens, Friends, again like Job, let’s humbly admit our mistakes nuh, learn from them and move on to a higher plane of spiritual maturity. Remember, Jesus’ anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. ‘And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.’ (Mark 14:36) That’s a perfect example of how we ought to be people; pray for relief from our sorrows, but with the understanding that we’ll do whatever God wants. Much LOVE!…God’s will isn’t always easy…but He’s always there to help…
SCRIP-BITS 