Know your place

And so we return to Job. To another troubled outpouring. Job chapters 9-11 are Job’s language of pain followed by his friend Zophar’s response.

Job: I know, my friend. I know all you’re saying is true. That I’ve tried to do the right thing all my life and that God will not abandon me. But how can I prove my innocence to God? How can any man? Even if I wanted to argue with God, how could I?

Think about it. Think about who God is. Who are we to argue?

God’s so wise, so powerful, so much more wise and powerful than we could ever be.

He created the world and controls it. He can make the mountains and the earth do whatever He wants. He could make the sun stop shining if He wanted to. Stop the stars from sparkling. He made them all, don’t you understand that? We’ll never be able to get our minds round how awesome He is. We’ll never be able to count or explain all his wonders and miracles.

I can’t even see Him, can I? When He’s close to me, I can’t even feel He’s there. No one can stop Him from doing whatever He wants. No one can question what He does. We have to remember our place. Know our place. Understand where we fit in the whole order of things. Recognise our place in the universe.

So how can I begin to question what God is allowing to happen? Why would He put up with that? All I can do is tell Him how I feel. Let me know all that’s in my heart. Plead for comfort and release. The rest is down to Him. I have to find a way to accept that. If it all comes down to strength and justice, then of course God wins hands down every single time.

So in the end, it’s nothing to do with what kind of life I’ve led. I have no right to think I can avoid suffering. God’s allows all sorts of things that I will never be able to understand.

My days are running out. I can’t seem to find any joy in anything any more. I could try to pretend everything is OK but it’s not. I’m still suffering. Still in pain. Still drained and desperate for rest and relief. I can’t do anything to change that.

‘If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God’s rod from me, that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.’ Job 9:33-35 (Reminds me of what Jesus came to do……An important insight right there.)

Woman consoling friend

I can’t stand my life any more. I can’t hide that from you. I have to have someone I can speak freely to. Someone to share my complaints and bitterness with. That’s what friends are for, right?

I’ve asked God to show me what I’ve done wrong. How I can put things right so He’ll take this suffering away from me. I wonder if He sees like we see. I wonder what He sees when He looks at me right now. Is He like a human being? Does He have days and years like us? Or is He outside of time and space? I can’t get my head round how He made me and now seems to be destroying me. How He created me with great care and now seems to be ready to let me fall apart. How He gave me life and loved me and now doesn’t seem to care about what happens to me. Why was I even born if I was going to end up like this? I can’t understand it at all. I guess I’m thinking like a human being though. Because I am. I can’t think like God or understand like God or sees things like God.

Is it nearly the end for me? If so, let me just have a few moments of joy and happiness in this life before I go. That’s all I’m asking. Is that really too much to ask?

I’m not going to spell it out, hut I really like that stance. I’m comfortable with not ever being able to understand God. I’m at peace with not having all the answers. We are humans. Just humans. Much about the universe is beyond us and always will be. We’re trying to understand and make sense of everything in a human way of thinking , but God’s way of thinking and being is beyond all that. And that’s where trust and faith come in.

Anyway, on to Zophar.

Zophar: OK, so we’re all listening to what you have to say, but surely we can have a chance to respond.

You’re talking a lot here, Job, saying a lot of things that need to be challenged.

Hopefully God Himself will challenge you and help you see that not all that you’re saying is right.

This isn’t all about you and what you’ve done and what kind of person you are. You’ve said that yourself. You know yourself you can never have all the answers and yet you keep asking questions. So many questions. Why keep trying to make sense of everything when you know you can’t?

There’s no more chance of a mere human like you or me understanding God than of a donkey giving birth to a human being! It’s ridiculous!

So how about letting go of the questions and trying this?

Reach out to God. Reach out your heart and hands to Him. Turn to God. Focus on Him. As you do that, your problems will feel less immediate; your troubles will seem eased. (There’s a song we sing at church with the line – ‘and in His presence, our troubles disappear, our hearts responding to His love’ – in it. That’s what Zophar is getting at here. Sounds simplistic and unrealistic, but there is a truth in it that we can all experience).
‘You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.’ Job 11:18

Once you’ve experienced this peace and hope in God’s presence, then no on can touch you. Nothing can touch you. You won’t need to be afraid any more.

Go Zophar! Wise, wise words there. Challenging words of comfort and reassurance for us all.

Reminded me of one of my favourite songs – not written about God, I don’t think, but I always think of God when I hear it – ‘I turn to you‘ by Mel C. Have a listen and see where it takes you…