“Where Were You When I Laid

The Earth’s Foundation?”

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

“Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?

Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.

Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?

On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?

Job 38:1-11

When tragedy strikes, questions follow. “Why did You let this happen?” “Whose fault was this?”

“Don’t You care about my pain?”

The book of Job records the questions Job asks as he sits down with friends to lament his suffering. He had lost his family as well as his health and possessions. Many have stood near a headstone placed too early and asked similar questions.

But when you read all the way to the end of the book, you get a surprise. When God responds to Job, He does it in an unexpected way. He turns the tables and asks Job questions – different questions that show His wisdom and sovereignty. Questions about His magnificent creation – the earth, stars, and sea. And the questions all point to this: God is sovereign, God is all powerful. God is love. And God knows what He is doing.

Our greatest comfort in sorrow is to know that God is in control.

Our Daily Bread – July 9, 2014