Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+033
CHAPTER 33 (ESV)
1 “But now, hear my speech, O Job,
and listen to all my words.
2 Behold, I open my mouth;
the tongue in my mouth speaks.
3 My words declare the uprightness of my heart,
and what my lips know they speak sincerely.
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 Answer me, if you can;
set your words in order before me; take your stand.
6 Behold, I am toward God as you are;
I too was pinched off from a piece of clay.
7 Behold, no fear of me need terrify you;
my pressure will not be heavy upon you.
8 “Surely you have spoken in my ears,
and I have heard the sound of your words.
9 You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me.
10 Behold, he finds occasions against me,
he counts me as his enemy,
11 he puts my feet in the stocks
and watches all my paths.’
12 “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you,
for God is greater than man.
REFLECTION:
Job wanted to know what had happened and why he suffered, but he could not get the answer. Through the scriptures, we could feel Job’s deep frustration and despair. Elihu claimed that he could answer Job’s confusion. Elihu told Job that God was trying to answer him, but he didn’t listen. Elihu weighed God’s mind according to his own mind, and came to a completely wrong conclusion. We must understand that if God answers all our questions, we will not face a real test. There are many questions which we are eager to know the answer to but God will not answer them! What if God said, “Job, Satan wants to test you and make you miserable, but in the end you will be healed and everything you have will be restored?” Job’s greatest test was not the suffering he suffered, but that he did not know why he suffered. Today, our greatest test may be that even if we do not know why our lives are not smooth, we must still believe that God is good. We must believe that a good God has a better will for our lives, not just a good life for us in this life.
PRAYER:
God, everyone wants to know what will happen in the future so that we can avoid misfortune and seek blessings. I am no exception, and I wish You would tell me the answers to all my questions. But I forget that You intend to test my faith in uncertain situations about the future. Please grant me steadfast faith, so that even when I don’t understand why my life is not smooth, I can still believe that You are a good God with a greater purpose for my life, rather than just giving me a good life in this world.
HYMN:
God, You’re So Good – m.youtube.com/watch?v=yMji7TypHOI
