He Holds the Answers

Then Job replied to the Lord:  ‘I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:1-2)

Are you in a place of testing right now?  Does it feel like everything is going wrong?  Do you feel like you have more questions than answers right now?  Do you feel like Job?  Have you heard Job’s story?  Well, let’s start from the beginning.

Job started by losing his servants, his oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, and his children.  He went away to mourn the loss of his children.  He did not understand, yet he continued to trust in God saying these very words…

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21)

Job understood that he could lose everything, but it would pale in comparison to the life that God gave him.  He was not about to question God.  He kept is integrity intact, knowing that God was still sitting on the throne and not misplacing a detail of his life.

Later in Scripture Job’s health is dealt a huge blow.  He gets painful sores on his skin from head to toe.  By this time, you would think he’d be ready to throw in the towel, but he wasn’t.  Instead, his wife was the one ready to throw in the towel for him.  She said he should just curse God and die.  Wow, isn’t she encouraging.  She sounds just like the kind of person I want to have around when things in life get rough.  Yeah right!  Thankfully, Job had three friends who were a little more careful with their words.  Well, at least in the beginning.  They sat with Job and didn’t say a word.  Sometimes you need to find the friend who will just sit with you.  The one friend who will see what you are going through and just be there for you!

The story continues.  Job did have his down days.  The days he cursed his birth, the days his friends gave up on him, the days filled with questions towards God, and the days of silence.  Finally, it was God’s turn to speak back and God didn’t hold any punches.  God was very clear to Job and sometimes I think we need a dose of this same reality.  Let’s just get back to the Word and be reminded of who is in control of the storm!

Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm.  He said:  “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?  Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.  Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?”  (Job 38:1-4)

Yikes!  Nothing like being straight forward!  Don’t expect it to get any easier from here.  God was making a statement.  He was showing up.  He wanted Job to know that He had not left him during the storms, He was there all along and the truth is He’s there for your storms right now.  He hasn’t stepped off the throne.  He is never too busy for you.  Just don’t become too busy for Him!  Here are some more questions that God asks Job:

“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle?  What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?”  (Job 38:22-24)

Can you control the weather?  Job couldn’t and I don’t think you can.  So also, you cannot always control the storms in your life.  Yes, you can control the wrong decisions you make, which can determine the amount of circumstantial storms you will face.  But sometimes storms appear out of nowhere and we have to ride them out, knowing that God is the One who is in control!  He’s not going to abandon you or let you down.  You might feel like He has because you can’t see Him working in or through the circumstances your in.  But one day you will get to a place where you can look back and see what it was God was doing all along!  God always has something up His sleeve.  Just a couple more questions for Job and we can wrap up this time together.

“Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south?  Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high?  (Job 39:26-27)

God has dominion over all the animals and finds a place for each of them.  He cares about their needs.  He cares about how they take flight, where they take flight, and the nests they build.   If God cares about these great birds to this degree, can you imagine how much He is managing the details in your life?  No one can begin to count the animals beneath the sea or above it, yet God finds time for each one.  God has time for you and He will never lose track of the moments in your life.  Your storms that you are going through and the questions that you ask.  God is there!  He sees you and He will answer in time!  For now, find rest in Him and realize that there is continual peace in Him!

After all was said and done, Job came up with his strongest statement to the Lord.  At least I think so!  It’s a statement to live by.  A declaration to believe in and practice every day!  Here it is once again:

Then Job replied to the Lord; “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:1-2)

Do you know that God can and will do all things?  NO PLANS of His can be thwarted!

Dear Father God, I pray that You will continue to answer the questions for us.  May we live knowing that you have the answers to everything.  You are the One who laid the foundations of the earth.  You control the weather and You are there when the birds take flight.  May I never question the plans You have for my life, but may I take great delight in knowing that You are always on the throne.

Thankful You Hold All the Answers,