Seeing Clearly

“My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You.  Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”  Job 42:5-6

There is a dangerous tendency among Christians and non-Christians alike to question God. I am not referring to the innocent questions of a child…but more like the sass-mouth challenging of a teenager. You know the scene where he gets “too big for his britches” and rolls his eyes at you? The heart of this questioning isn’t to understand but rather to accuse or correct. 

Have you ever been there with your child? There is perhaps nothing more frustrating as a parent than having your child – whether directly or indirectly – accuse you of being unfair or unloving simply because he doesn’t have the wisdom and insight to understand some of the hard choices we must make as parents. It is in such moments that I have been humbled by God’s grace and mercy in “putting up with” me, His own version of the sassy teenager.

“If you keep your mouth shut you will never put your foot in it.” – Austin O’Malley

No one can shut a mouth more quickly than the Creator of the Universe. Is questioning God a sin? Not necessarily. But if you choose to do so just be ready for the answer. If anyone had cause to question God, it was His humble servant, Job. And yet even to Job, God said, “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell Me, if you understand” (Job 38:3-4). And that was just the beginning…

When God finished with him, Job’s answer was, “I am unworthy – how can I reply to You?  I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer – twice, but I will say no more” (Job 40:4-5). But God was not finished. He continued, in His God-like way, to basically ask His teenager Job, “Who do you think you are?” Or more accurately, “Who do you think you are talking to?”

What transpired, however, is a beautiful picture of God’s perfectly loving discipline. Was it easy? No. Was it effective? Most definitely. God wanted to make sure that Job had a clear picture of His character, His position, and His power. When the lecture was over, Job said to his Father, “My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You.  Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6). And God’s response?  “…The LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10).

Dear Father, open my eyes so that I may see You clearly. Give me the desire to know You more. And forgive me when I question you or doubt you. Help me to have humility and trust the way Job did, no matter what difficult circumstances I'm facing. In Jesus’ name, amen.