Hope

Beholding Whispers

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One of my favorite things to do is to go for a walk by the beach. It’s one of the blessings of living in Southern California that the beach is close and so fulfilling this desire is easily accomplished. To me, the ocean is such a mesmerizing place. It simultaneously resounds with tranquility and with power. The stillness of nature echoes with the call to remember the truly important things in life, while at the same time the crash of the waves shouts with tumult and conviction. One can feel utterly at peace and utterly powerless at the same time.

It’s hard to stand at the ocean’s door without giving thought to the One who created both its beauty and its dominance. With His words, He spoke it into being (Gen. 1:9-10) and it’s an impressive reminder of both HIs power and His love. After all, it was in the midst of tossing waves that Jesus demonstrated His command over them. And at the same time, it was in this same setting that He demonstrated how He provides for those He loves (Mark 435-41).

Yet, as Job 26:14 reminds us, as much as the wave and the wind demonstrate God’s majesty, they are just whispers of His might. His creation reflects Him, but does not paint the complete picture of His supremacy. What we experience here on Earth is just the breath of His glory. What we know of Him, is just the beginning of what He can do.

This shouldn’t diminish our appreciation of the whispers. They are, after all, reflections of the One who created us, loves us, and sacrificed His Son on our behalf. However, may we not think that these whispers are the culmination of God’s work. There is much more that He can, and will, do.

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Being Content

Right Response

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People are free with their advice. From child-rearing techniques to how to invest money, people love to share what worked (or what didn’t work) for them and pass this off as sage wisdom to others.

The propensity for advice-giving is especially prominent when someone is going through a difficult time. People share all sorts of “wisdom” in order to tell you how to cope with the difficult situation. They are quite willing to dictate exactly what your next steps should be – often relying on their failed attempts to handle a similar situation in order to point you in a different direction.

Job faced this. As most people are familiar with, Job is a man who lost nearly everything as a result of an attempted power play by Satan. His friends and his wife were all quick with advice on how he should contend with the difficulties. However, Job would have been wise not to listen to it, as his first response was the right one. At the beginning of the book that bears his name, when he first learns of the initial devastation that comes upon his house, we find this verse:

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.” (Job 1:20)

We might not be surprised at the first part of this verse. That Job would partake of the ancient symbol for grieving by ripping his clothes and shaving his head does not catch us off guard. But it’s the second half that’s noteworthy. Not only did he grieve his loss, he worshipped. After being blown away by the news that his possessions and his children had been destroyed, his response was to give honor to the King.

We might wonder why Job worshipped. After all, from our perspective it would seem that what had just happened was worthy of questioning God, not praising Him. And I would like to offer that the circumstances probably weren’t the focus of Job’s worship, but instead, God’s character was. Job worshipped because although his situation had changed, God had not. And the God who was worthy of praise when everything was going well, was still worthy the next day.

It’s an important point for us to remember – and not only in times of affliction. If during good times the basis of our praise to God is His gifts alone, we are going to have a more difficult time praising Him when those gifts are taken away. When we worship Him because of Who He is, then in good times and in bad, we will always be able to give Him praise. 

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