God is God and I am not

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:

"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

                                                                                          Job 38: 1

After 37 chapters of bad advice from his friends, Job finally gets his chance to plead his case before God to God about the terrible suffering he has endured.  And God came to Job “from out of a whirlwind”  and continues the battering by asking Job a series of rhetorical and sarcastic questions.            

 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth, Job?

               Who determined its measurements?  Surely you know, Job.”

Many of us shy away from Job because we are uncomfortable with “this side” of God.  We rationalize that its best to avert our eyes and stick only to those passages that provide us with a warm, fuzzy God who loves us unconditionally.  It’s decidedly more comfortable that way. 

But to deepen our understanding  of God, it is essential for us to examine all that the scriptures reveal about God. 

So what are we to glean from Job?

Perhaps Job is a reminder to us that God is ultimately in charge.

That God is majestic, with power over Creation.

That the world is not our oyster, but God’s.  

And ultimately, that God is God and we are not.

Thanks be to God.