Does God truly control all?
The book of Job holds a unique place in the Bible. We don’t know anything about the main character and it can be difficult to place the story in history. Having said that, it is a powerful book of dialogue between Job and some of his so-called friends, as well as a dialogue between Job and God.
In these verses from chapter 42 near the end of the book, Job acknowledged he had suggested that he felt God had lost control. After all, how could the tragedies of losing everything — his wealth, family & health — be part of some master plan?
But then it’s as though Job gives his head a shake and renews his firm belief that God always accomplishes his purposes. When he writes that the events of life are “too wonderful for me to know,” Job is not suggesting that he understood the awful experiences he endured as being pleasurable. On the contrary, he recognized that the end result of those events were beyond his comprehension. As another biblical writer put it, “my ways are higher than your ways” (Isaiah 55:9).
As difficult as this lesson is for us today, it is a vitally important one. How many of us also question God’s plans for our lives when things seem to be falling apart? And yet it’s at those moments that we must remind ourselves that we can’t begin to fathom the mind of God nor can we see the big picture and how our lives fit into his grand plan.
Dear God, help me when I want to make my plans yours instead of vice versa. Remind me that you are sovereign and know what is the best thing for me. Amen.
Consider this: Think about your prayers lately. Are you trying to convince God to do your will or inviting God to accomplish his will?
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