Job 12:7-10
“But ask the animals, and they will teach
you, the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach
you, and the fish of the sea will declare to
you. Who among all these does not know that
the hand of the Lord has done this? In his
hand is the life of every living thing and the
breath of every human being.”
Reflection
It is hard to believe, we are in the third week of Advent, a time of rejoicing, a reminder that God’s promises are taking root.
This past Sunday Pastor Joe asked us to be thinking, this week, about relationships and how important they are. Using Jesus’s Mother Mary and John the Baptist’s mother Elizabeth as examples was thought provoking. Don’t you wonder what Mary and Elizabeth spoke of as Mary stayed with Elizabeth?
This devotional is special to me because of how it came to be is such a remarkable example of God at work in a time and a way that is totally unexpected yet so perfect. Wednesday morning I knew that it was my day to write the devotional for Thursday. A text came in from our niece Jen whose daughter Hannah is an amazing young lady and Sophomore at Boston University. Jen wanted to pass on a Devotion that Hannah had written knowing that we love what we have seen her doing at her Methodist Church and at school.
Laura and I were super impressed with Hannah’s Devotional. I hope that you are as well as that is today’s devotional – see below.
by Clarence Beverage
Can the animals and plants stand at the pulpit and preach the word of God to us?
It is a ridiculous image only because humanity puts such emphasis on words and reason. It’s
understandable. After all, in Genesis, God presented his creations to Adam, and “the
man gave names to all cattle and to the birds of the air and to every animal of the field”
(Genesis 2:20). Words have been a part of the way we consider religion since creation.
Notice, though, what Adam does not name. The “plants of the earth” and the “fish of the
sea” that Job says will teach and declare to us the wisdom of God, these are not given
human- created names in Genesis. They are not deemed fit to be considered as
companions for man.
And yet, they possess a wisdom that human beings with all our words and reason
sometimes struggle to grasp: that God is everything! Look around you without labeling
or criticizing. Let go of categories and hierarchical beliefs and just observe. Give
everything only the name of God, because He is in it all.
Slow down. Wisdom is not running from you; it is already in you. You already know all the
answers. Look around you; look inside you; look to God. Understanding comes from Him.
Breathe in God; breathe out God; recognize that He is in everything and with you always.
You will never be alone.
Hannah
For Pondering and Prayer
My takeaway’s are:
If you can, always look for God to be present in ways that are unexpected. I like that what Hannah has written is fresh and different and I can share it with you.
For me, relationships can be cherished, sometimes most when people I love or care about come into my life unexpectedly.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I am thankful when things happen in which I feel I can see your hand. Open us to sense your peace when we are overwhelmed and in turmoil. Help us to see your wisdom which can wipe awy our confusion. Help us to, feel your strength when we are feeling weak, your love that overcomes our lack of love, and your forgiveness for our sins. Amen
