Brushstrokes of lavender and orange cream swabbed the evening sky as another day lowered its eyelids. Deep shades of purple and navy rolled in like a wave. The luminous brushstrokes rode the wave back out to an ebony-colored sea of night. The stars appeared. I considered the heavens and the Hands that made them.
And I thought of Job.
EVEN JOB CONSIDERED THE HEAVENS
Job. A righteous man. A good man. A man sifted by Satan because the Lord allowed it, knowing Job’s heart would remain faithful to the God of his fathers.
But never forget that Job was human. He was a man — a man with real feelings, a man with raw emotion as his world crumbled around him. Job was a man who dared to question God — not disrespectfully nor irreverently. Just honestly.
And that brings us back to the stars and how I considered the heavens, and how in my very dark night of despair I thought of Job.
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: ‘Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! … Who laid [the earth’s] cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or, who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth … when I said, “This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!” ‘”
The Lord had my attention. I, too had been questioning God.
“Can you [Job] lift up your voice to the clouds, that an abundance of water may cover you? Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, and say to you, ‘Here we are!’? Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?”
Well…okay then. I sat up a little straighter and leaned my ear toward heaven.
“Moreover, the Lord answered Nan (Ummm…I mean Job), and said: ‘Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.’
“Then Job answered the Lord and said: ‘Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.’”
Our God is Sovereign Over All Things
Job was confronted with the holiness of God – His sovereignty over all things.
So was I.
In this exchange, Job came face-to-face with God, and in so doing, had to confront his self-righteousness. Job recognized his pride and expressed his shame. I had to do the same. I had to acknowledge that I wanted to take back control of dire circumstances because I doubted God’s sovereignty. I mean, I didn’t realize it at the time, but now it’s clear. Either I trusted the Lord, or I didn’t. Either I believed He was God, or I didn’t. If doubt and fear and shameless pride hover about me and color my perspective, then I’m not allowing God to be God.
This encounter with the Lord happened several years ago, but I’ve never lost sight of the lesson. That day, as I considered the heavens, I gained an understanding of His sovereignty, something I’d never thought much about. My God suddenly became a GREAT God, full of authority.
I love what Job said at the end: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.”
Like me, Job’s relationship with the Lord deepened. Before the difficulties assailed him, his knowledge of God had come mostly from others – the hearing of the ear, but now Job knew the Lord through personal revelation – now my eye sees.
I can also say, “My eye sees You, Lord, and understands deeper than ever before. Thank You, Lord. Blessed be Your holy Name!”
As I considered the heavens and the Hand that made them, I heard a song coming up over the ridge. I recognized it this time. It’s the melody created when the morning stars sing together.
*Job 38:1,4,6-8,34-36; 42:5
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Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.
Sweet blessings to you,
