What Only God Can Say

“Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who [is] this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.” (Job 38:1-3 AV)

Only the LORD can get away with telling Job what needed to be said.  No one else was qualified.  There is sat, mourning over the loss of his children, his wealth, and his health.  What bothered him most was the reason for it all.  He questioned God’s judgment in the sense that he believed it would have been better if he would have never been born.  No one would ever accuse Job of being whiny or complaining more than his situation would warrant.  He had every right to be depressed and confused.  Where is faltered was to assume God may have made a mistake, or that God could have chosen a different path.  When we question the will of God because things are not the way we wish, only God is the one who can get away with the statement above.

Sometimes we need to be told to stop the complaining and grow up!  Life is hard.  Life is tragic.  Life is not one big party contrary to what the world wants us to think.  There isn’t one magic pill which we can take to make all the pain go away.  Hardship is that which God allows which brings us up into Christlikeness.  What the LORD is asking Job is:  Who are you to question what I cause or allow?  Who are you to question my methods?  Who are you to wonder if I made the right decision?  ONLY GOD CAN ASK THOSE QUESTIONS!

When push comes to shove, we need to hear that from time to time.  We need to understand God is God and He is accountable to no one!  He is sovereign and all powerful.  And, as much as it might hurt or as uncomfortable as it might be, we are in no position to complain or question the hand of God!