A Thought For Your Christian Journey:

Beyond Comprehension

Job 10.14-16 

Job 10.14-16 If I sin , then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity .  15 If I be wicked , woe unto me; and [if] I be righteous , [yet] will I not lift up my head . [I am] full of confusion ; therefore see thou mine affliction ;  16 For it increaseth . Thou huntest me as a fierce lion : and again thou shewest thyself marvellous upon me.

As I read Job chapters 8-10 I see Job, whom God described as a perfect (spiritually mature) man, enduring great trial and tribulation.  His friends have come, to comfort him, and have turned out to be poor converters indeed.  Instead of comforting Job the start accusing him.

Now, Job's friend's intentions are pure.  They point Job toward his sin because they know that if a man would be blessed by God then they must be right with God.  They also know that if a man lives in sin then God's judgment is sure to follow; there will be a pay day someday, as R.G. Lee used to say.  Job friends only made one error.  They failed to understand that sometimes God moves in our lives in ways that we can not possibly understand.

In Chapter 10 I hear Job responding to his friends appropriately, yet with question.  In Job statements I hear him saying, "Lord, show me my sins."  I believe that Job, having heard his friends comments, searched his own heart for the purpose of true repentance.  Job want to see clearly if there were any sins in his life that he had ignored.  Job clearly desired a heart of godly integrity and purity with God.  Job's friend took Job comments as rebellion and denial, but I believe that Job really desired to be pure with God.

In all of Job's discourses with his friends one undeniable fact is evident.  Job and his friends saw all that had happened to Job and tried to explain it in human terms.  In trying to understand the circumstances of job life through the narrow looking glass of their life's experiences that developed answers and solutions that were far from reality.  Job and his friends could never have imagined how the whole record began; with Job as a perfect man in God's sight, and Satan challenging God through the life of Job.  It was just too unthinkable.

So what does this mean?

As Christians we must always remember that God's ways are not our ways.  There are things at work in our lives that are supernatural in nature.  These supernatural and sovereign acts of God go far beyond our comprehension.  In your life there may be, and probably are, things at work that are that just go deeper than our mortality and natural creation.  In trying to understand and explain your personal circumstances you may fail to understand the spiritual and immortal ramification of your experiences.  One thing is certain, they are divine in nature.

However, let us never forget that the reigns that control our circumstances and trials are in our heavenly Father's hand.  He loves us, he proved that with a cross.  He knows us and our particular circumstances; even down to the hairs on your head.  And all will work to our good in the end, God guarantees it.  Perhaps that best things we can do is fall back into the supernatural arms of God, trust Him, and let Him have his way in our lives and all of His creation, both natural and supernatural.

 Published, 13 June 2006 

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