
42 Job answered the Lord:
2 I know you can do anything;
no plan of yours can be opposed successfully.
3 You said,[a] “Who is this darkening counsel without knowledge?”
I have indeed spoken about things I didn’t understand,
wonders beyond my comprehension.
4 You said,[b] “Listen and I will speak;
I will question you and you will inform me.”
5 My ears had heard about you,
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore, I relent[c] and find comfort
on dust and ashes.
Reflection
There’s a scene in the movie ‘Forest Gump’ where Lieutenant Dan is hanging from the ship’s mask in a hurricane, shaking his fist at the storm and yelling, “Is that all you got?” That scene reminds me of Job’s encounter with God.
Job’s story is one of devastating financial and personal loss, of disease and suffering, betrayal and marital discord, anger and finally transformation. Job’s life was broken and poured out in front of him, and in his despair and suffering he asks God that eternal question we all come to ask, “Why me?” As Job’s faith is brought to it’s breaking point, Job challenges God. Job seeks to understand God’s will and purpose for his life and God’s plan for the world. God responds to Job’s questions, speaking from within the whirlwind, and God challenges Job’s assumptions about God.
This encounter with God changes Job forever. Up until Job’s encounter with God
everything he had heard about God was just hearsay. Job realizes that while he had heard of God’s faithfulness, he had never seen or actually experienced God. This encounter with God upends Job’s limited perceptions of God and transforms Job with renewed purpose. By trusting in God, Job experiences God’s faithfulness and is able to move forward from tragedy, into new life.
God has a purpose and a plan for each of us and it’s called resurrection and new life. God’s love reaches into our brokenness and despair, and God offers us forgiveness, resurrection and a new path forward. We are restored in relationship as the children of God. Our lives are transformed by God’s Spirit, we’re given spiritual gifts to use. We become messengers that bring the good news of God’s love for us, through Jesus, to people desperate to know God’s love.
Our purpose as children of God’s Kin-dom is to do good works, to bring hope, peace and justice to a world crying out for transformation. God has gifted us new life in the Kin-dom and we pray to God for the peace that passes understanding to move across the earth. Through the Spirit we speak into being the things that are both here and not yet, that the love of Christ will change hearts and minds from hate to love. We are called to serve, feed, clothe, and
comfort, and to love others as our Savior Jesus loves us.
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering and Prayer
Have you only heard about God but not experienced God in your life? God wants us to ask questions, even the ones where we’re shaking our fist! Because it’s in questioning that we get answers and guidance from God. It means we trust God enough to be vulnerable and accountable. Do you feel called by God to a specific purpose? What spiritual gifts has God given you to serve at church and in the world?
Prayer: Holy and Loving God, we seek guidance and a deeper relationship with you, but we often are afraid to question our faith. Transform our lives by your Spirit and renew our purpose that we may better serve you. In Jesus name. Amen.