Last week, I read again God’s response
to Job’s complaints in chapters 38-41.
Among God’s questions:
“Who shut up the sea behind doors
. . . when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud
waves halt?’”
“Have you ever given orders to
the morning, or shown the dawn its place . . .?"
“Have you entered the storehouses
of snow . . .?”
“Can you loose Orion’s belt?”
“Do you give the horse its strength . . . It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing . . . it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds?”
“Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom?”
Humbled, Job responds in 40:4, “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth?”
The Message translates this verse
a bit more bluntly, “I’m speechless, in awe—words fail
me. I should never have opened my mouth. I’ve talked too much, way too much. I’m
ready to shut up and listen.”
God is
waiting for all of us to reach that point where we realize we’ve been too
verbose and are ready to listen.
Of course,
God wants to hear from us, but if on our part, it's all talk all the time and no listening,
we miss the point. We would never be able to carry on a relationship with
another person that way and neither can we with God.
We often
complain about not hearing from God. Perhaps we’re not being attentive.
So, it's time to give give Job 38-41 another read and also time to turn our ears heavenward. Right there with you.
Beverly Varnado is the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon. A memoir, Faith in the Fashion District, from Crosslink Publishing is also available as well as her other books, Give My Love to the Chestnut Trees and Home to Currahee. She also has an Etsy Shop, Beverly Varnado Art.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
Beverly Varnado copyright 2022