Chapter 429 of 1163

JOB 38–39

The storm finally broke on the five men seated on the ash heap, and God spoke to Job out of the storm. We do not enjoy it when the storm comes, but if we listen for His voice, the storm will accomplish good things in our lives. When the storm was over, Job was ready to meet God and help his friends.

God’s Word is light (Ps. 119:105, 130), but too often our words bring darkness. Words without knowledge are like lamps that shed darkness instead of light and only make the situation worse. Elihu recognized this in Job’s speeches (34:35; 35:16), but Job did not recognize it. Be sure your words are true; otherwise, you will find yourself in the darkness. (See 1 John 1:5–10 and note the repeated phrase “if we say.”)

Job claimed to know a great deal about God (27:11), so God examined him on several subjects: creation (38:4–11), the regulating of nature (38:12–30), the stars and clouds in the heavens (38:31–38), and the ways of the animals and birds (38:39–39:30). Needless to say, Job failed the examination—and so would you and I.

The problems of life are solved not by reasons but by relationships. Job wanted to reason with God, but what he really needed was to rest in God. Job saw God’s greatness and his own littleness, and that was the turning point. However, the smaller we are in our own eyes, the greater God makes us in His sight.

“I had a million questions to ask God: but when I met Him, they all fled my mind; and it didn’t seem to matter.”

Christopher Morley

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