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Job 38-42 – Praying through the Bible #166 – A Prayer Finally and Frightfully Answered
Scratched into a wall in Germany during World War II by someone hiding from the Nazi’s are these faithful words:
I believe in the sun even when it is not shining.
I believe in love even when I am alone.
I believe in God even when He is silent.
Nothing may be more frightening than God answering our prayers; especially when we have called out God as unfair, unjust, unloving, and other unfavorable descriptions, as had Job. I am thankful I am not Job; but in a way we all are. Job has to live with God’s silence as he suffers; as do we. Even when Job finally gets an “answer,” it is not an answer to why. It is an answer of who: Who God is and who Job is not.
God begins answering with a question: “Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words?” Then God challenges: “Get ready to answer Me like a man; when I question you, you will inform Me” (30.2-3). Try to hear the tone in these words.
Job had sinned. At the beginning of this turmoil, he had not blamed God (1.22; 2:10). Time can’t heal all wounds when the wounds are still fresh. Due to his pain, Job had wanted God put to trial (9.2); now God is returning the favor. This is a warning for us. Jesus taught we should treat others the way we want to be treated. Do we treat God worse than we want to be treated? Sometimes shamefully yes. I have heard said, “God can take it;” meaning God can handle all my invective pain verbally hurled against Him. God can, but does that make it right?
There is no more glorious section describing God’s omnipotence and omniscience than Job 38-39. Nothing I could write could surpass what the Holy Spirit wrote. So read it.
Yahweh asks, “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who argues with God give an answer” (40.1). In trying to visualize Bible scenes, earlier, I can “see” Job standing, shaking his fist at God, screaming. Here, Job is completely humbled; probably sitting on the ground, head down unable to look into heaven. Still he has no answer as to why he has suffered. So how does God’s non-answer satisfy? Maybe “satisfy” is too much. Job is, and this sounds horrible, put in his place (40.3). That it sounds horrible suggests maybe we think too highly of ourselves; or too lowly of God. Job’s last words are, “I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes” (42.6).
So when suffering, we need to believe in God’s goodness even when it is not shining. We need to believe God is with us even when it appears we are walking alone. We need to hear God’s love from the cross when He is silent about our suffering.
Prayer Challenge: Take God’s answer in chapters 38-39 and praise God in prayer.
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