Snapshots
Biblical Truth
OF
GOD'S THOUGHTS ABOVE OURS
BIBLE REFERENCES:
Job 38 - 41 (God speaks to Job); Job 42:1-3 (LivBible) “Then Job replied to God; I know that you can do anything and that no one can stop you. You ask who it is who has so foolishly denied your providence. It is I. I was talking about things I knew nothing about and did not understand; things far too wonderful for me. “
Isaiah 55:8, 9 (NIV) “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways’, declares the Lord, ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”
APPLICATION:
When I first graduated with my engineering degree, I had the naive notion that I had learned it all. I figured that it would be all smooth sailing from now on. I just needed to apply what I had already learned. I wasn’t on my first job more than a day when I began to realize I didn’t know “squat”.
We sometime like to boast about our education, our ability to think and reason, we take great pride in our degrees, our past accomplishments and our ability to think deep thoughts and to reason through tough problems. But, when you try to stack up your own personal knowledge against all knowledge that exists out there, it is quite humbling.
The Bible talks about a man named Job. The Scriptures tell us that Job was a righteous man, a man God was proud of. One day disaster hit Job’s family. Job lost just about everything, his kids, his wealth, his prestige and his self respect. The only thing remaining was Job and his wife, and she was wishing he would curse God and die.
For nearly 33 chapters in the book, we find Job arguing with his friends about his circumstances. Job’s friends were convinced that Job’s disaster was caused by some great and awful sin Job had committed against God (Wow, what friends!). Chapter after chapter the arguments and counter-arguments flew, back and forth; each side speaking and arguing about things they didn’t even know anything about.
Finally, God stepped in. God spoke directly to Job. In Chapter 38, Verse 1 (LivBible) we read, “Why are you using your ignorance to deny my providence? Now get ready to fight, for I am going to demand some answers from you.”
God began his argument by asking Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you know so much.” The next three chapters are filled with questions pinpointing Job’s ignorance (and ours!).
We are no different than Job. Sometimes when things don’t go our way, when circumstances start piling up against us, we want to shake our fist at God and argue with him. But, all God has to do is remind us who we really are; we are but an infinitesimal speck in his vast creation – yet, even in our smallness God has great plans for us.
A PRAYER
“God, your ways are sometimes mysterious to us, your thoughts are way above our thoughts; but, you have given us the intelligence to understand some of your ways, those that you intend for us to know.
Help me not to argue and complain so much about the hard and difficult things in life, things that I don't understand. Help me to simply rest in your loving care, reassured by the Words you have already spoken to us through your Holy Scriptures.”
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