Job begins his response after Zophar spoke. He defends himself a little bit, stating he’s not inferior to his friends, and that he is faultless before God. Job then attempts to describe the breadth of God’s power.
” ‘With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open. If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light. He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away. He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a trackless waste. They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunken man.’ ” (v13-15,22-25)
According to Job. God is all-powerful, all-capable, all-knowing, and limitless in every way imaginable. Other scriptures, of course, agree with Job.
God is…
– Timeless: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev 1:8)
– All-Understanding: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom.” (Isa 40:28)
– All-Knowing: “From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth…” (Psa 33:13)
– All-Powerful: “Jesus looked at them and said. ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ ” (Mt 19:26)
– Ever-Present: “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Jos 1:5)
Despite his terrible circumstances, and accusing friends, Job manages to remain rooted in God, with firm unshakable faith. I can’t help but wonder if my faith would be as strong if I was in Job’s place… Our trials might look different than Job’s, however, we can make the same choice as Job – trust God, or forsake Him. The choice is ours every moment of every day.
I encourage us to remain firmly rooted with our trust in God, just as Job did. God is the only one who is bigger than this virus. We may not know how long the isolation and pandemic will last, however, we can trust that God is ultimately in control. The virus is out of our control, though our obedience to Him is in our control. Let’s love the Lord, with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, and love our neighbors, no matter what happens around or to us.
Father God, our all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-understanding King, we worship and praise You. Father, thank you for being ever-present in our current circumstances. Thank you for pouring out Your love and compassion on those who are suffering. Please bless everyone with Your peace and comfort. Please continue to teach us through these trying times, and please be patient with us who are slow to learn. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training