The Lord Answers Us with His Presence
Beloved People of God,
What must it have been like for Job when God showed up! One second the young Elihu is encouraging Job to “Keep listening to the thunder of His voice and the rumbling that comes from His mouth [because] God thunders wondrously with His voice; He does great things that we cannot comprehend,” and “then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind” (Job 37.2,5; 38.1)!!!
Job’s been desperate for God to show up, to answer His unanswered appeals. Maybe you’ve felt like that, thinking, “If God would just show up and answer me, I could move on with my life!” What Job experienced—all the extreme audiovisuals aside—is the same God who speaks to us today. He begins by making us aware of His presence. He doesn’t always show up in a hurricane or in grand visions (check out Ezekiel 1). Sometimes, God reveals His presence quietly with a still small voice (1 Kings 19.11-13).
God makes us aware of His presence and then He answers (but probably not in the way we expected). God answers us like He did Job: with questions. Yes, questions! This can hardly feel like what we were waiting for! More questions? Really?! Eritrean theologian Tewoldemedhin Habtu, reflecting on Job 38-39, believes, “Questions are an effective way of teaching, because they force the learner to think for himself.”
Friends, isn’t that just like God? His presence ministers to us and then His questions broaden our tunnel vision perspective. We want God to make sense of our suffering, but instead, God lovingly (and at times quite amusingly) asks us questions far beyond our capacity. God’s questions generously invited Job to loosen his grip on bitterness and disillusionment by contemplating God’s kindness toward His whole creation.
As you spend time in God’s presence this week, give your questions a rest and listen to the questions He’s asking you. Listen to the voice of the One who endows the heart with wisdom and gives understanding to the mind (Job 38.36). You might be surprised what you learn.
For His Name’s Sake,
Brett