It All Belongs to Him

“Who hath prevented me, that I should repay [him? whatsoever is] under the whole heaven is mine.” (Job 41:11 AV)

Whatsoever under the whole heaven is everything!  As my deacon replied, “This should be obvious to all.  Too bad that God had to declare it!”  Amen.  But declare it He must.  It is surprising how many created beings believe they belong to no one.  We did nothing to earn our existence.  We did nothing to affect our existence.  We are the product of two people and the hand of the Creator.  We belong to the hand that made us.  Yet, few will acknowledge the existence of a Creator nor submit to Him as such.  It matters not.  Whether we submit or don’t submit, we still belong to the Creator.  It amazes me how much this principle is lost on the rebels.

The city to which I moved a few years ago is popular among dog owners.  It is not uncommon to see a dog walker stroll by the house on average of two an hour.  A simple drive from one place to another will also witness several dozen dog walkers.  Pooches are everywhere!  It is interesting that every dog walker also sees himself or herself as a dog owner.  The dog, no matter how much it is loved, belongs to the master.  It doesn’t matter how cute or ugly, big or small, obedient or wild.  That dog belongs to a person, and that person understands the role of owner.  It is his or her responsibility to care for that dog.  It is to be fed.  It is to be maintained in good health.  It is to be housebroken.  It is to be trained.  This is proper and right for the dog’s sake.  A dog not well cared for and trained is a dog that is uneasy.  The owner is one because the dog is purchased, licensed, and sheltered.  The owner did not create the dog.  He assumed a relationship of authority and submission.  As long as the balance exists between owner and pet, the relationship continues.  But at no time can the dog decide that he is not owned.

We are not dogs by any stretch of the imagination.  We are not property of another.  Rather, we have a much higher status than that of a purchased pet.  We belong to God because He made us.  His relationship to us is that of Creator/creation.  Because man is made in the image of God, we are the extension of His person.  Unlike a dog who may resemble his master but with no point of origin, we are much more to the LORD.  We are the expression of His love and desire to know those who wish to trust Him and worship Him.  We belong to Him.  Not because He bought us from a breeder or other individual.  Rather, we are His because He invested His heart in something He could love while desiring love in return.  We are not our own.  We were bought with the price of the blood of Jesus to reconcile us to our Creator.  If we will not have a relationship with Him, then we cease to pursue the purpose for our existence.  There is no more need of this relationship.  We are His!  The quicker we can accept and internalize this truth, the quicker we can enjoy the life He wishes to grant.

Limited Understanding

“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.” (Job 38:4 AV)

God’s question to Job goes to the root of man’s quest to fully understand God.  He cannot.  The word ‘understanding’ is important here.  The bible use of the word means to comprehend and combine facts so that one understands the implication or application of the facts one knows.  In short, the LORD is asking Job; and by extension mankind; can we really understand every detail of God’s hand in creation?  Modern man would posit that indeed, mankind is smart enough to understand all the complexities of the natural universe.  The theorems of our brightest sound rather profound and possible.  Yet, now one was present when God created so to say that mankind can know is the height of arrogance.  We can only know that which we can interact with.  We know much biology as manifested by medicine.  But how much to we really know?  If we knew all that was to know, immortality would be the result.  Yet death still reigns.

I am not a patient word-puzzle person.  If the puzzle is not relatively easy, I have no interest.  There is a word-puzzle app on my phone.  There are nine varieties of word puzzles included each day.  Word search is no problem.  The Wordle style puzzle is simple enough.  There are three or four puzzles where knowledge of pop culture like movies or music, is a constant theme.  There is another puzzle that changes the current word to a new one by changing one letter.  The puzzle gives you a crossword style clue.  Whoever writes these puzzles is not from my home country, so many of the clues are useless.  The crossword puzzles seem to be somewhat like this as well.  Google searches become my friend.  I have learned much playing these word puzzles because I have to search to find an answer.  Working these puzzles is quickly becoming a chore rather than a pleasure.  I will cease to occupy myself with things I cannot understand when it becomes more work than joy.

Mankind is miserable because they will not let God be God.  This was Job’s struggle.  He needed an answer to ‘why’.  He wanted to understand the complexities of God before he was willing to be content in his limited ability to understand God.  This is the LORD’s doing.  The answer to Job’s situation was simple and understandable.  But many things are not.  The complexity of what God does, or why and how He does it, are not able to be known by finite man.  God’s point to Job was that Job needed to learn submission, contentment, and even joy in the reality of ignorance.  After all, if the answer to his question did come, would it really change anything?  Getting the answer would not bring his children back.  Getting the answer would not produce instant wealth.  Getting the answer would not miraculously heal his body.  The answer to ‘why’ is a separate consideration.  It is not the cure.  Man is foolish if he thinks he can understand all there is not know of the hand of God.  Absolute arrogance!  Faith is the answer.  Taking God at His word and trusting Him, even though we have scant ability to understand, is the only answer to a troubled heart.

The Blessedness of Faith

“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all they that put their trust in him.” (Ps 2:12 AV)

The application here is very clear.  With the phrase “…perish from the way…” and the word ‘…wrath…’, the student of the scriptures can clearly discern that the context and application is the eternal wrath of God as the lost soul suffers in a devil’s hell.  Therefore, if accepting Christ as Savior is the choice of the lost soul, then he or she will be truly blessed!  This is obvious.  Another consideration is that there are only two choices here.  Either the soul will trust the LORD and be blessed in that trust, or reject the God of mercy and grace, suffering eternal separation because of it.  Again, this is obvious.  There is no middle ground.  There is no position of neutrality.  This thought was turning in my head when the Spirit spoke ever so gently to consider the principle here beyond the application of salvation.  One must wonder if God is displeased when we reject His person or ability because we are too afraid or self-sufficient to trust.  We know the author of Hebrews tells us that we cannot please God without faith.  Again, one has to wonder if a lack of faith would result in some sort of divine response.  But that is not where the Spirit would have me go this morning.  Rather, one word jumps out to me.  That word is ‘blessed’.

How many of us have had our children reject what we knew they would like simply because it was new or felt they could not trust us?  We have all been there.  It might have been the first time they were dropped off at the church nursery.  Perhaps it was the first day of kindergarten.  Maybe it was a ride at an amusement park or the first cast from a fishing pole.  We went camping a lot.  My father took us on many adventures.  Most of the time we reluctantly went because we knew there were risks and discomforts involved.  Once there and actively participating, the experience was enjoyable.  Most of the time, reluctance comes at the offering of a new recipe.  My children used to laugh about it.  My wife loves to try new recipes.  Most of the time they were not worthy of a second try.  So, my sons used to joke about mom’s new recipes all the time.  Guess what happens when you marry.  Suddenly there are certain things mom made that you miss.  Not that your wife is a poor cook.  It is the memories around the recipe that you miss.  Getting children to try new foods no matter how much you know they will enjoy it is a challenge.  They simply cannot see the reward.  All they see is the risk.

The same is true with us.  We are asked to trust the LORD in all sorts of ways over an entire lifetime.  Some are easy.  Some have no other option.  Most, however, have an escape hatch.  This hatch is not provided by God.  It simply exists.  It exists as part of our ability to choose.  The challenge is in believing in the eventual blessing.  David’s statement above isn’t a hypothetical hope.  Trust God, and you might receive a blessing.  No.  David’s statement is one of fact.  Those who let go and let God tend to be more blessed and content; maybe even happy; than those who will not trust God.  It is one thing to trust the LORD with our souls.  What other choice do we have?  Any rational being would take God up on the offer of salvation through Christ.  It is after our new birth that faith becomes rather difficult.  Believing the absolute promise of blessedness if we trust is what gets us over the fence.

He Looks

“He looketh upon men, and [if any] say, I have sinned, and perverted [that which was] right, and it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.” (Job 33:27-28 AV)

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture.  We can easily apply this to salvation.  We know that if repentance is genuine and faith in Christ is solid, then our Savior and LORD delivers us from going into the pit of hell.  We live in the light of His presence for all eternity.  This is a simple concept to understand, and the hope of our eternal future.  However, we wrestle with this truth as we seek to love and serve God in the flesh.  We wrestle with God’s mercy and forgiveness.  Even if we accept it, there is a part of us that thinks we deserve to be perpetually miserable because our sins are so great.  Some have a difficult time living in the joy of the LORD because their guilty conscience will not allow it.  The answer is faith and acceptance.  Part of our downcast souls has to internalize Paul’s words when he says, “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Eph 1:6 AV)

This passage has appeared in my devotions before.  Each time I read this passage, a fresh insight is graciously granted.  The Spirit drew my attention to God’s proactive part in our repentance and restoration.  Note in particular that the LORD looks.  He looks upon mankind, and if any say they have sinned, He restores.  He looks!  Sometimes we get in our heads that God is too mighty to condescend to mankind.  We erroneously feel as though He sits on His throne and refuses to engage with the guilty in any way until the guilty approach Him with brokenness of heart.  We think God requires that we grovel to Him seeking mercy that may or may not come.  This is not the God of the Bible.  He proactively seeks those who wish to reconcile.  Yes, He requires humility and brokenness.  But He doesn’t require a broken spirit.  He requires a broken and surrendered will.  But not a destroyed reason to live.

I have known fathers to be so aloof from their children that any type of relationship with him destroyed the spirit.  This type of father limited his interaction to discipline.  There is no affirmation.  There is little encouragement.  As far as this type of father is concerned, the only relationship he and his child had was authoritarian/subordinate.  If the father had to look for an erring child, it wasn’t to reconcile a relationship.  It was merely to fix wrong behavior.  This is not the God whom we love and serve.  He searches for someone who is broken.  Not to break them further.  Rather, to restore and reconcile.  Our God wants a relationship with us.  Our sin is the hindrance.  Our Father knows this.  He also knows we are not naturally inclined to seek reconciliation.  At least not until the Holy Spirit has had plenty of work on our souls.  So, He looks.  And He looks.  His eyes wander to and fro on the earth to see if there is any who desires to know Him.  He looks.  He looks for me.  He looks for you!

Mourning Loss of Ministry

“The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.” (Job 29:13 AV)

Job’s testimony of himself was that he was a caring and generous person.  In particular, he shares that those who were hurting often found comfort by his counsel and encouragement.  Job was an incredible man who changed the world for the better.  He used his life to glorify God and minister to others.  Now he sits as the one in need.  It is interesting that Job received none of what he had at one time he had freely given to others.  Somehow, I don’t think his personality changed all that much despite the deep time of adversity he was facing.  I don’t think it mattered to him that his friends were mistreating him.  We know this because he offered sacrifices for his friends, lest the LORD inflict them with His wrath.  It was Job’s nature to do what he could for others.  Those above are the widowed and the dying.  Job went out of his way to help those in the deepest of needs.  One has to wonder if we are the same.

There is no greater trial of faith than death.  Either dying or surviving the passing of another.  Especially when the one passing on is the closest relationship one might have.  Being that precious saint who can ease pain is a great gift.  Serving as a chaplain for a local hospital was a particular blessing.  Never have I grown so much in the LORD is such a brief amount of time.  The experiences are countless.  Crazy things can happen.  But the most precious moments are also part of the experience.  One particular time I was called to a room of a patient who was departing.  There was no family.  The healthcare team had disconnected this patient from all the tubes and such.  They wanted this dear saint to pass into eternity with as much dignity as possible.  As my ministry partner and I entered the room, the saint lay there semi-conscious.  We asked if he wanted prayer.  He said he wanted us to read his favorite scripture passage following the prayer.  We prayed for God’s mercy on the saint’s body.  We asked for a pain-free rest.  We asked the LORD to prepare his heart for his home-going.  We prayed for God’s love to be evident and His presence overwhelming.  Then we read Psalm 23.  We did not get through the whole passage before he passed.  There was no struggling for breath.  There were no convulsions.  This saint passed into eternity as though he had simply fallen asleep.

This is no credit to my partner or me.  All glory goes to God.  The blessing it was to help this dear saint face the unknown was more of a blessing than words can ever tell.  Job did this regularly.  He didn’t do this because he was called into the ministry.  He didn’t do this because he was an ordained minister or trained Chaplin.  This gift requires compassion and understanding.  It requires following the leading of the Holy Spirit and listening to those who need ministry.  It is the ultimate act of kindness, second only to leading someone to Christ.  It is the total emptying of one’s Self for the total needs of another.  There is no remuneration.  There is no compensation.  It is total charity for the sake of someone who can never repay what was done for them.  It is awesome.  Job knew this.  And he knew that in his present state, he could be that blessing for others who had deeper needs than his own.  Job was more concerned with the lack of ability for others than he was his own personal loss.  This is what made Job a great man.

Knowing the Knowable While Accepting the Unknowable

“Lo, these [are] parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?” (Job 26:14 AV)

A very sound theological statement.  It doesn’t matter how of the infinite is revealed to man, he can never completely know God.  In fact, Job is very correct here.  Because God is infinite in attributes and scope, at best a finite being can only know little.  Some find fear in this truth.  I find comfort.  A God who cannot be figured out is a God indeed!  If God could be dissected and understood, then we become equal to God.  The moment we become equal with God is the moment we do not need Him.  What can be known is the results.  At least as it affects us.  Job asks a follow-up question.  He asks who can know the power of thunder?  That we can know.  The obvious application is that we may not know everything there is to know about thunder, but we can know the sound and how it applies to us personally.

My wife loves the weather channel.  I am finding out that many ladies love the weather channel.  However, I think my wife’s fondness for it might be different.  Many like the human side of the channel.  They are drawn by the deep emotions people feel when disaster upends their lives.  The kinship a viewer feels as interviews of storm victims are broadcast is the attraction to the channel.  My wife, on the other hand, enjoys the extreme nature of weather.  I have son who is the same way.  If opportunity presented itself, I think both would sign up for an adventure with storm chasers.  They like the power of nature.  The LORD has seen fit to send some extreme weather my way.  I have outrun a tornado.  Felt and heard an ice-quake.  We lived in an area that was prone to earthquakes and felt a tremor or two.  Nothing comes close to a Midwestern thunderstorm!  You have to experience it to understand.  I have been through ice storms that brought everything to a halt for a two-week stretch.  There have been a few floods.  Don’t get me started on black ice and super-sized winter snowfalls.  I have even been out on a small craft during a small craft advisory.  Nothing compares to ten-foot swells in a sixteen-foot open-bow boat.  Let’s just say weather is serious!  I may not understand how it all works, but appreciation for what it can do is not lost on me.

This is the understanding Job is trying to convey.  We don’t need to know all there is to know about God.  We cannot anyway.  It also does not figure that the more ignorant we are of God, the more comfort we experience.  This is certainly not true.  Rather, there is a balance to be had.  That balance is found in the word of God.  He has revealed Himself in as much as we are capable of knowing Him.  Theology has bounds.  Those bounds are the natural bounds of the finite compared to the infinite.  These bounds are not in place for some nefarious purpose.  Rather, they are natural.  Mankind is foolish if he tries to understand the infinite.  Even worse, if mankind has the impression that he can know the infinite, it is pride at its height.  We cannot know the innumerable acts and attributes of God.  But we can feel the roar of thunder.  We don’t have to know any more than we are capable of knowing.  Simply put, we must let God be God!

The Right Mind in a Bad Place

“But he knoweth the way that I take: [when] he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10 AV)

I don’t think this idea is a welcomed idea prior to a trial occurring.  Rather, this is perfect for those who are in the middle of it.  I am sure that if Job knew of his pending trial, he wouldn’t have made the statement above.  Rather, he would have done everything possible to avoid it.  No one wants to go through deep water.  No one seeks deep trials as a thing to do.  Who in their right mind would want to suffer?  Not me.  Not Job.  While in the midst of a trial, our hearts can change.  A heart of hope and gratitude can be a result.  Job has his ups and downs.  He has his pleasant moments and his terrible moments.  There are times he speaks of God’s goodness, grace, and mercy.  There are other times he refers to the LORD as an adversary or judge.  The ups and downs of deep waters force to the top our emotional person.  We feel and express our feelings.  The statement above is one of Job’s most optimistic.  He knows it.  But he doesn’t always feel it.

Peter tells us that Job was patient.  The above statement by Job proves the point.  He was a patient man to endure the onslaught of criticism leveled by his friends.  He was patient while at the same time agonizing over questions that had no answer.  It is the ‘gold’ part that we seem to struggle with.  Is the trial worth it?  Will the changes be worth the turmoil?  Will the work that God does through all the loss be worth more than the loss I feel?  As I get older, there are lessons learned that are profound and hard.  Lessons we knew were coming.  Lessons that one cannot prepare for.  There is a time of transition.  We begin to realize there is more time behind us that before us.  We begin to realize that opportunities are becoming less and less.  We look back on our lives and wish we had taken more opportunities or invested our talents much better than we did.  We look ahead and realize that time is short.  We go through a systematic exercise of ends.  There is coming a time when the things we took for granted become less, or cease altogether.  This is a hard thing to adjust to.  The biggest trial of our lives is always tomorrow.  Gold has to be the standard.

Job’s hope was that change would more than compensate for the trial he was facing.  He lost much.  He lost children who could never be replaced.  Things can be replaced.  But relationships cannot.  Those sons and daughters were gone.  There was nothing that could bring them back.  Of all the things Job lost, it was the relationships that would leave a lasting scar.  Sure, God replaced the ten children Job lost with ten more.  But they were ten new and different people.  Job would never know his eldest to take on the family business.  The daughters he lost would never walk an aisle arm in arm with their dad on their wedding day.  There would always be a reminder of that which he lost evidenced by a grave marker and a name.  God compensated for it.  But He could not undo it.  Gold is the hope.  Change is the goal.  Knowing that through all of our deep water, we will be changed into the likeness of Christ is the only result that makes up for the cost paid.  This takes maturity.  This takes a love for God that few know of.  This takes heavenly priority.  This state of mind understands that we were created for God’s glory and change is part of it.  This state of mind sees the hand of God as an extension of His benevolence and grace.  This state of mind treasures the gold far more than what was lost.