"Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Tag: Job

Once It Becomes Personal.

MaryEllen Montville

“In the past I heard about you, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. And I am ashamed of myself. I am so sorry. As I sit in the dust and ashes, I promise to change my heart and my life.” –Job 42:5-6.

Perhaps Job’s faith in God had been handed down to him from his parents? Maybe it came to him through his listening to the oral retellings of old? Accounts of God’s goodness and mercy, of His great love for His children.

Whatever the channel used, Scripture clarifies that Job recognized there was a God. Job never denied He existed. We realize this in Job’s response to his wife when she flat out tells him to give up on this God who had just allowed one calamity after another to befall them: “His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. –Job 2:9-10.

Job surely had some level of faith. Some belief in the God of the old retellings, the God who went to great lengths to redeem, provide for, and protect His people. “I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the LORD” –Exodus 10:2. Maybe Job had lived his life essentially mimicking, perhaps wholeheartedly, what he had observed his parents and family, neighbors and friends—those in his tribe doing or saying—wanting it to be true for himself, wanting to believe it all. Indeed believing, on some level, that this God is real. Remember though, that up until this point in Job’s story, he’d not encountered God personally yet. Job had only known Him as the God of someone else’s relationship. But until Job knows God personally—until anyone does, God remains impersonal, and their lives untouched by the enlivening, relational presence of His Holy Spirit at work

This is the case for so many of us before our relationship with God became personal, Jesus was just a person someone else has experienced. A head knowledge that had yet to touch our heart. A good man hanging on a cross, perhaps? A god among many other gods, maybe? Our mother or father or grandmother’s God? Or the symbol of some unreachable deity whose rules demand more than anyone can give? So then why even try to know Him for ourselves?

I know this is how it was for me.

Raised Catholic, I attended Catholic school in the 60’s—went to Mass daily with those in my class. I learned about Jesus certainly—knew He had a Father, God. I had heard of the Holy Spirit but quite literally never knew Him as anything other than the picture of the Dove I’d seen painted on the Cathederal ceiling, in paintings, or heard referenced in the priest’s homily. I had no clue He was an actual person—the Third Person of the Godhead. Like Job and so many others today, I had undoubtedly heard about God—had some cursory head knowledge of Him, but I did not know Jesus—personally, that is. I had never encountered God face-to-face, so to speak.

But one day, in the blink of an eye, right there in the Catholic Church, all of that changed!

No longer was God someone that lived outside of me in paintings, nor was He a man who hung on a cross over my bed; Jesus Christ was now alive in me—His Spirit at work in me. One minute I was dead in my sin, the next, alive in Christ—just like Job. “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” –Ephesians 2:4-5. And, as with Job, I too felt the weight of my many past sins. How I, too, had questioned God at every turn. Yet, by God’s grace and mercy, the weight of my sins drove me to God, towards true repentance. And in that scared moment of His visitation—I unknowingly followed Job’s example and, as the song says, was gracefully broken.

I’ve since learned this one thing over these many years of walking with the Lord:

God does not break us to harm us; instead, He breaks us that He might re-fashion us, working out of us—pruning away those unfruitful habits—those sins that repeatedly trip us up and stunt our growth, muddying His plan for our lives. Sins like pride, fornication, adultery, addictions, stealing, stubbornness, rebellion, and lying, just to name a few.

I know this first-hand because not only does God’s Word make this plain, but, by God’s grace, Jesus enabled me to turn away from the sins that had had a death-grip on me for so much of my life. By His grace alone, I was able to leave them behind me, running after God with all I had in me instead. And I’m still running towards Him today, now, more than ever! Yet, I have miles and miles to go in my learning more and more about this God I love. This man that came and changed everything—in an instant, and counting. See, that’s what happens when He comes; He makes all things new—not usually overnight—but most certainly over time. And, after having met the Living God personally, after having experienced His Love, mercy, and grace, I began to understand the breadth of His forgiveness. In my finite, weak-as-water way, I caught some dim glimpse of what it cost Him to save me, and that revelation drove me so far into God that now, all I want in this life, for the rest of my life, is more of Jesus. Catching a genuine glimpse of your sins against the unblemished backdrop of God’s Purity and Holiness will cause you to cry out in repentance, in humility.

We witness this piercing truth in today’s Scripture verse. Undeniably, this was the case with Job, listen: “In the past I heard about you, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. And I am ashamed of myself. I am so sorry. As I sit in the dust and ashes, I promise to change my heart and my life.” –Job 42:5-6. The Prophet Isaiah also understood this Truth, listen: “I was frightened and said, “Oh, no! I will be destroyed. I am not pure enough to speak to God, and I live among people who are not pure enough to speak to him. But I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful” –Isaiah 6:5. The Apostle Peter understood it as well—me too. Each of us touched by God, transformed in an instant by the power of His Holy Spirit coming and taking up residence within us, making all things new, understood, more believed, that we were sinners who’d been brought into contact with a Holy God. “When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man” –Luke 5:8.

The Pure Light of God’s presence unmasks every lie we’ve ever told ourselves about who we are—and who He is, exposing then the naked Truth, we are sinners in need of a Savior.

When we come face-to-face with the Living God, we face the depths of our depravity and our propensity for sin and sinning also. We become a witness to our self-justification, denial, pride, and those inflated opinions we hold of ourselves.And in this sacred moment, we must choose: to repent of these and accept Jesus into our hearts and lives, or to shut Him out—keeping Him then out there somewhere as the God of someone else’s relationship. And it is smack-dab in the instant of just such an awakening that we witness Job acknowledging God as His Lord and Savior in today’s Scripture verse.

My prayer in this season of hope and miracles is this: If you know of God, yet have not encountered Him personally, then right now, in these days leading up to Easter, to His death and Resurrection, His ultimate display of love—you’ll follow Job’s lead and say yes to having a relationship with Him, Move Him from being the God of someone else’s relationship, to being the God of your own.

“Assurance, He Is Sovereign” Prov. 8:27-29

sunrise-1756274_960_720 “When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth” ( Proverb   8:27-29).

One of the purposes of God’s creation is to showcase both His majesty and power—His wisdom. This is how David explains it: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Ps.19:1).

Job, found in the Old Testament, saw great value in witnessing God’s power displayed through His creation. Even during the time of his great loss, Job displayed great patients. But, he also expressed a desire to understand the why of what God had allowed to happen to him—he could not understand God’s actions—nor his own losses (Job 1:13-19).

And so, Job goes to God asking why …?

And even though Job didn’t get the answers he was looking for, he did walk away with a greater—a renewed, appreciation for God’s Sovereignty.

We must never forget that though God is loving, kind, merciful, slow to anger, and, full of patients—He is, and will eternally be, Sovereign over all creation. He is God—we are not.

And Job knew God. Trusted in Him. In His Sovereignty. We see evidence of Job’s great faith in Job 1:20-21. “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job understood nothing  is owed us…

Yet, in response to Job’s faith—in the last chapters of this book, God comes and speaks to Job. But, not in the way Job thought He would—nor wanted Him too.  Rather, God spoke at length concerning His power demonstrated through His Creation…

Creation? Why are you talking  about creation when all I want to know is why you did what you did? Why did you take all I held dear away from me? Why did you change everything up on me God, I don’t understand?

As with Job, many today, the day after what will surely go down in history as a conflict-ridden election, are asking why? Many are seeking answers to ease their confusion, anger, and disbelief. Many are grieving today, feeling a genuine sense of loss…

And, as with Job, they want to know the purpose of it all.

Yet, God does not always answer people in the way that they would like Him to—nor expect. That is where faith comes in. Why it is so very needed. Faith that the God who created us, along with everything seen, and, that which is unseen—has everything under control…

He has a purpose for the momentary pain—the seeming confusion. Listen: “You are fortunate when God corrects you. So, don’t complain when God All-Powerful punishes you. God might injure you, but he will bandage those wounds. He might hurt you, but his hands also heal” (Job 5:17-18).

When speaking to the Prophet Jeremiah concerning the false prophets the Lord says of Himself, “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away” (Jer. 23:23)? What is He saying?…

God is telling Jeremiah,  that He is right here with us in the thick of things. That nothing happens without His knowledge or permission. And, that as with the false prophets of old, many today are feeling that God is nowhere to be found. That He is unseeing, unknowing—unconcerned. I am certain Job must have felt this way for a moment or two himself…

Yet nothing is further from the Truth. And the creation spoken of in today’s proverb testifies to that. God is still in control, still on His Throne, still very involved and concerned with man and this world.

God’s Providence and Sovereignty—His ever-present Hand is clear daily in all His creation. And, as we witness it, we will find Him clearly evidenced throughout… If we are looking for the comfort and surety demonstrated in God’s consistency.

Creation is a gift to us—a declaration.

Job did in fact get answers to his questions, as we will get ours. But, we must first come to God as open vessels—tucking away our wants and ideas. Our limited notions of how it is we believe He will come to us—answer us. Remembering that our scope and knowledge are limited—finite…

He alone is infinite—Omnipresent, able to see the beginning and ending of all things…

Job says it this way, “I know you can do everything. You make plans, and nothing can change or stop them” (Job 42:2).

And, as with Job, when we are experiencing—witnessing, difficult times, we too can look to creation and take comfort—solace in, an ever-present God who indeed has all things in hand. We may not understand the reasons for the happenings going on about us—in the world, in our present sufferings or angst…

Why? Because of our limited knowledge—our finite minds cannot—will never be able, in their present state, to take in the thinking and plans that God has for us in their entirety…

But, we, like Job, can experience a renewed—refreshed, re-calibrated, relationship with God. If we choose to place and keep our focus—our trust, not on our circumstance, but rather on the greatness—the Providence of God.

Knowing the truth of creation and witnessing the demonstration of God’s powerful Sovereignty—His abilities displayed all around us, should strengthen our faith and encourage us to trust the One True God who is all-knowing and able…

And, it should guide us into trusting in each of His plans and promises for us—for our Nation, for our futures….

Yet,If you, like Job, find yourself questioning God. Asking where He is amid a world that seems to have temporarily been thrown into deep chaos, I suggest you listen to Job himself—follow his example…

Listen to his reply to God after He came to Job personally and revealed that He alone is God…

Additionally, that He alone created this world and all that’s in it… “I know you can do everything. You make plans, and nothing can change or stop them. You asked, ‘Who is this ignorant person saying these foolish things?’ I talked about things I did not understand. I talked about things too amazing for me to know. “You said to me, ‘Listen, and I will speak. I will ask you questions, and you will answer me.’ In the past I heard about you, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. And I am ashamed of myself. I am so sorry. As I sit in the dust and ashes, I promise to change my heart and my life” (Job 42:1-6).

Through God’s lesson Job figured out that God owed him nothing. No explanations. Yet, in His great love, He came and showed Himself. He explained Himself through His Sovereignty, His Omniscience, His Being the One True God all by Himself. Through His creation that surrounds us daily—for a season. That we might witness it and be reminded of His great nearness—His Omnipresence daily.

And through our witnessing— be assured and draw strength. Increase in faith, in relationship.

“The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies announce what his hands have made. Each new day tells more of the story, and each night reveals more and more about God’s power. You cannot hear them say anything. They don’t make any sound we can hear.  But their message goes throughout the world. Their teaching reaches the ends of the earth. The sun’s tent is set up in the heavens” (Ps.19:1-4).

 

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