“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.” Job 38:4 (NIV)
If ever there was a man who who faced adversity, it was Job. God allowed Satan to tempt and torment him. Job lost his health, wealth, and some of his children and servants were killed. I can’t imagine the grief and pain he felt. Yet even in his affliction and adversity, he praised God. Until that is, his friends sat with him in mourning and then offered their opinions as to why he was suffering so much. Job despaired and asked God the “why” questions we all grapple with.
God appeared in a whirlwind to Job and his friends. He didn’t appear to answer Job’s questions. No, he came to ask Job a few questions! He asked Job where he was when he laid the earth’s foundation. He asked Job specific questions about his creation. Essentially God let Job know that if he couldn’t answer yes to any of his questions, then he had no right to ask God for answers. No human being is on the same level with God. We can’t understand his thinking or his power. We have no business asking God to explain himself or what he is doing with the world he created.
When we are faced with hard times, it is good to remember that we don’t have to understand or bother to ask God why. It is our job to praise God and to be humble and grateful in all things. When we do that, we are blessed. In the end, God restored Job’s health and wealth two fold. He can do the same for us.
F.R.O.G. Practice: Today, ponder God’s power and glory. Praise him. Humble yourself before him in the afflictions and adversity you face. Surrender to him. Don’t ask him to explain himself. We can’t understand his mind or his power. Trust that he knows what he is doing with the universe he created.
