The LORD said to Job: Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!…Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Job 40: 1–2, 8 NIV

“Why is God allowing this suffering?” “It’s not fair!” “Isn’t God listening?” We may feel like Job, that whatever storm we encounter in life isn’t fair, and that our prayers are unheard.

Job accused God of being unfair, for Job maintained his integrity despite accusations that his sin led to his trials. God wasn’t answering Job, and Job wanted to come before Him to present his case.

In Part 2 of Job’s Journey we see that the Lord does hear our cry, even when we may not recognize it or see results to our prayers. We can learn through what the Lord has to say to Job.

In Job 38:1 and 40:6, we read, Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. If He is speaking out of the storm, that tells me that He is also in the storm with us! How reassuring to know He is there when we face troubles.

The Lord questions Job for what Job had said, revealing that He was listening.

Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Job 38:2–3 NIV

When we make our own suppositions about God and who He is and what He says, it obscures the truth. We may doubt and not see what the Lord has already revealed to us or is doing in us. We can lose sight of the many promises the Lord has given to us. Like Job, we do not see God clearly. We have a benefit that Job did not have; we have God’s Word that communicates the character and attributes of God.

The Lord revealed Himself to Job. In Job 38–41, He declares His omnipotence, or unlimited power. The Lord asks Job where he was when God laid the earth’s foundation. Did Job give orders for the morning, journey to the springs of the sea, or reserve snow and hail for battle? Did Job know where darkness and light reside, or the way of the rain, thunderstorm, and ice? Could Job bring forth the constellations in their seasons? God asked Job who provided food for the animals or if Job knew when they would give birth, giving examples of various species and their strengths, weaknesses, and characteristics.

No one is fierce enough to rouse it [the leviathan]. Who then is able to stand against me? Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me. Job 41:10–11 NIV

The Lord also reminds Job that the Lord alone is Sovereign and just.

The LORD said to Job: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!”…”Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his? Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty. Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at all who are proud and bring them low…humble them, crush the wicked where they stand…Then I myself will admit that your own right hand can save you.” Job 40:1–2, 8–11, 12b,14 NIV

Like Job, I’ve whined about trails and questioned where God was or what He was doing in my life. I’ve complained that those doing evil seem to flourish when I want Him to judge them and fix the situation instead.

Job received a new point of view regarding God Almighty. I’m seeing God with a new vision as well. Job put it so well in his reply to the Lord in Job 42:

I know that You can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted… My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. Job 41:2, 5–6 NIV.

Let’s study Scripture to really know who the Lord is, and trust Him as He goes with us through the storms.

Lord, please give me a new vision of You. Help me to see You for who you truly are based upon Your Word, and not my clouded view that is influenced by the world or my own ignorance of You. In the all-powerful name of Christ Jesus, Amen.

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Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan.

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His Broken Treasure is available for purchase as both an e-book and as a paperback at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other vendors.

His Broken Treasure is a 31-Day companion devotional to the historical romance novel Murmur in the Mud Caves by Kathleen Denly.

We’ve all felt broken or unvalued at times, but His Broken Treasure helps take readers deeper into the themes of Kathleen Denly’s Murmur in the Mud Caves and remind them how treasured they are by the One who matters most. Designed to allow concurrent reading with Murmur in the Mud Caves, each section of His Broken Treasure is labeled with the chapter of the novel that it addresses. Reading this devotional will help you more easily recognize the beauty in God’s broken treasures.

#ChaparralHearts http://www.KathleenDenly.com