The Life and Times of Joe Suttle

Now that God has started, He continues with more questions. It's like He has already said, "You know everything, so here's some more easy stuff!"

Job is (like we would be) probably squirming. Thinking to himself "what did I do, raising questions about God?" After all Job's words of protestation about his righteousness and goodness, and his questioning why God would do this. Job might expect some answers, but instead, God has questions and more questions.

Poor Job. Almost ready to yell out "Okay! I get it!"

But God, as God, wants to make sure that Job and his friends do not miss the point. "I Am God and there is no one like Me!" God wants to emphasize in every area of their and our understanding that we control nothing. We may think we are great, but what we are and what we control is nothing compared to "I Am".

"Listen Job, can you make a horse, and put a mane on it? How do you make it to leap like a giant grasshopper?"

It wasn't enough that God questioned Job about horses, He moves to the hawk and eagle. But the real insight comes when, just as about the weather, God asks "Do you command the eagle to build it's nest high up on a cliff?" The question is out there, and although asked of Job, I am sure his friends were a little afraid that God might ask them something. After all, they had poked their wisdom out at Job and for everyone to hear and see.

The real question is how we are feeling about a God who controls only what we could imagine. After our lambasting God, how would we answer His questions?

After all, we said we "knew."

But do we really?

Remember when you were "hot stuff." Everyone in high school or college looked to you for all the answers. You were the "know it all" of everything. People seemed to just naturally feed on your statements and repeat them.

And then IT happened!

One day, someone not only dared to question you, they actually factually embarassed you – in front of everybody. You were "dead meat" on the highway of what used to be your life. All the facade you had built came tumbling down around you. You had been put in your place. You really wanted to crawl under a bench or rock and get lost.

That's what it was like for Job when God got started in chapter 38.

Right out of the chute, God says "Since you understand and know everything there is about who set the measurements of the earth and how they did it, tell us!"

BAM!

That hurt! Job and his wise friends were now really up against it. God actually started out by saying "You are a man, so put up your best stuff like a man, not like a little kid. I'm going to ask you some questions, and since you are so smart, you instruct Me!"

Remember when you were a kid and your mom or dad put you in the corner over something you had done. If they did not use this tactic, then you missed a very important lesson in life. I, me, you are not the most important people in the world. We are not the smartest, baddest things that roamed about our home, neighborhood or school.

We may have thought (actually, some of us probably think we are) we were the greatest thing since sliced bread, or the iPod. How sad to see our vision of ourselves come to a screeching halt.

Take some time and read chapter 38. It is amazing how God uses the natural things like clouds, seas, hail, light and dark to make His point. We cannot measure or control them. We cannot define or declare where they come from or when they will arrive. We are powerless.

The power is His!

I love God's show stopper in verse 34 – "Can you yell at the clouds and make them drop a lot of water on you?"

God is not done. It's like "Now that I have your attention, there are some other things you need to remember or understand."

Not your age, but rather Job 37 where Elihu is reminding Job and his friends of something they seem to have forgotten, and that is "Just who God IS."

Elihu paints a might picture of God. Maybe one day, some songwriter or photographer will find a way to capture this for us all. I'm no poet, songwriter or world famous photographer, but here is my shot at what he said.

His voice thunders and the earth shakes at the rumble of his voice. It has majesty and is like very loud thunder. He causes lightning when His voice is heard, and there is no way we can understand the power of that voice.

Remember, He is awesome, and above everything.