What Are You Reading? From Why to Who

well hello and welcome back to our wow a moment in the word series what are you reading over these last weeks and for the rest of this year that's going to be our series theme we want to know what you're reading and we're going to share with you what we are reading in God's word. So be sure and fill out that contact form that's the bottom of this this video and share with us what you're reading. We would love to know and we'd love to even invite you on and either have you write about what you're reading or share with us via video what you're reading. But today I'm going to wrap up what I've been reading this year so far. I've been in the book of Job. I've been here for a while, but I'm going to share with you the end of Job chapters 38 to 42, and this is when God answers Job. Here we've had Job and all the calamity that fell upon him, and then his friends who tried to help him and were not terribly helpful and then Job speaks he defends himself and Job has really been concerned of course I mean he was going through a lot of adversity and suffering but his whole I guess point of everything is that this was unjust because he as the Lord had described him was a righteous man and blameless not meaning that he was perfect but he was right righteous because of God and his obedience to him and God's favor in his life so I say all that to say Job is concerned about the injustice and so God comes back and he speaks to Job very plainly very even sarcastically if you will just to sort of show Job and remind Job of who he is so it's interesting, if you have the chance to read these chapters, particularly chapters 38 and 39, I'm just going to begin by just reading the first couple of verses of chapter 38, and you'll get my point about this, a little bit of sarcasm, if you will, and just God really pointing out to Job, look, who are you? Let's talk about who I am and my power and my authority and the fact that I am a just God and so anyway let's listen to this and then we'll go get into it a little further it says in verse one then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge dress for action like a man I will question you and you make it known to me where were you when I laid the foundation for the earth tell me if you have understanding who determined its measurements surely you know or who stretched out the line upon it or what were its bases sunk or who laid its cornerstone when the morning star sang together and all the sons of god shouted for joy or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb when i made clouds its garment and thick darkens its swaddling bed and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors and said, thus far shall you come and no further. This is God showing Job, telling Job, look, I am the creator of the world. I did all this. Who are you? Um, that you, um, that, that you are, are, are thinking that I am, I am in just that, um, that I am not in complete and in total control and authority. So I love these, these, um, who, when where why words if you will i mean who who i went through um chapters 38 39 and 40 and like who who who was um i can't even remember but a lot of times like 15 times um where who who are you where were you when was it that what did you know and then then he then god asked him do you have you can you will you he starts questioning job and it was just a reminder to me that in the midst of our trouble in the midst of our suffering yes we're allowed to ask god why of course we are we what god wants us to pour out our hearts to him he wants us to come to him with our questions when we don't understand because that's where we're going to gain gain wisdom and peace and understanding but the way we do it is with humility and with um asking for mercy and asking for grace and coming to god and rather than saying you know um having sort of a haughty spirit about us um coming to god and saying lord i'm i'm troubled like i know that you this is who you are and this is who i am help me understand um and and show me what to do so it was just a reminder to me that instead of asking um why or what or how maybe we should be like the wise owl who says who who who all the time up on his branch maybe we should be like the owl who says who who who are you god who are you like show me who you are and job does this he does this at the end of this book in um chapter 42 verses 1 through 6. listen to how job has changed his tune he has realized the depth of who god is and that god is not unjust that there's no injustice when it comes to god He realizes what a small man he is and what a big God Job is. Listen to these words. Then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I've uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. He admits that he just didn't understand. hear and I will speak. I will question you and you make it known to me. I had heard of you by the hearing of my ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. Before Job knew about God and he loved God, but now after all that he's gone through, He doesn't just know about God. He understands and knows God experientially. You know, I talked about my daughter, Leanna, a couple of weeks ago. And I have a story, just a real quick illustration that I think kind of brings this home. At least it does for me. But after we received Leanna's diagnosis, I remember going to her doctor and just saying, you know, can you help me understand, determine why this happened or, or why this is the way it is? Like how and why I was asking all of those questions as a mom would do. I mean, that's completely a normal question. And I remember him saying to me, you're, we're not going, it doesn't matter how many tests we run, Jacqueline, it doesn't matter. We're not going to, we're not going to find out what caused this or why. It's simply the way God made her. Now, being the mom that I am, of course I went and I got test after test after test and tried to figure it out and spent thousands of dollars on tests trying to determine, you know, why. Because I felt like if I knew why, if I could understand why, I could fix it. Well, what God plainly and clearly said to me in his graciousness, in his kindness, in his mercy, in his love, was that nothing needed to be fixed. She didn't need fixing. She was fearfully and wonderfully made, just like it says in Psalm 139, O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up, you discern my thoughts from afar, you search out my path and my lying down, you are familiar with all my ways even before a word is spoken on my tongue behold oh lord you know it altogether you hem me in behind and before and you lay your hand upon me such knowledge is too wonderful for me it is high i cannot attain it and then in verse 13 for you formed my inward parts you knitted me together in my mother's womb i praise you for i am fearfully and wonderfully made wonderful are your works my soul knows it very well my frame was not hidden from you when i was being made in secret intricately woven into the depths of the earth your eyes saw my unformed substance and in your book were written every one of them the days that were formed for me when as yet there was none of them what i learned through that experience was that i didn't need to ask why um i didn't need to fix my perfectly perfect precious daughter she was exactly how god made her and i didn't need to ask why about her life i needed to know the who of her life who made her who formed her who had her in the palm of his hand every day of her life and so i would say to you today i don't know what's going on in your life i don't know what you're struggling with or what questions you may have but what i would say to you is maybe you stop asking why or what or how and you just look at who your god is he is all powerful he is faithful he has knowledge more than we can even grasp or think or imagine and he loves us he loves you from the depths of his heart and his desire is for good for the good of you for the good of the kingdom his desire is to use you i'm just like his desire is to use liana and he already has so i just come to you today with that little bit of um of wisdom maybe or of encouragement and i want you to know that i'm praying for you whatever situation you're in god has got you have a great week

Originally published at warren.church.