IN SORROW— PONDER THE GREATNESS OF GOD!
IN SORROW— PONDER THE GREATNESS OF GOD!
I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me. —Job 10:1-2
Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me. —Job 10:18
Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves. —Job 11:6
In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. —Job 12:10
With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open. If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his. He leads counselors away stripped, and judges he makes fools. He looses the bonds of kings and binds a waistcloth on their hips. He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the mighty. He deprives of speech those who are trusted and takes away the discernment of the elders. He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong. He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light. He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away. He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a pathless waste. They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunken man. —Job 12:13-25
Job was loathing his life and complaining. He was speaking out of the bitterness of his soul. He was feeling condemned by God and that God was contending with Him. Yes, Job was wrong. It was God’s desire to prove that the Lord had “none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (Job 1:8). Still, in the midst of his pain, sorrow and grief, Job wished he had never been born. In the midst of adversity, we have a tendency to focus just on the adversity and not all our Lord has done prior to. The severe pain and hurt we feel often gives us tunnel vision.
When we go through hardship, it surely does not help when someone tells us that “at least you are not getting what you really deserve!” Wow… that is far from comforting in the midst of painful turmoil. Let us be wise with our words!
Even in the middle of a painful experience of life, it is good to reflect on Who our Lord God Almighty is. Job pondered and stated—
- He controls the life and breath of every living thing, including man
- Wisdom and might are with God
- God has counsel and understanding
- God tears down and rebuilds
- None can open what God shuts
- He withholds water and brings floods
- He has strength and sound wisdom
- The deceived and deceiver are His
- He defeats counselors
- He makes judges fools
- He frees kings
- He binds priests
- He overthrows the mighty
- He deprives the speech of those trusted
- He takes away the discernment of elders
- He pours contempt on princes
- He brings deep darkness to light
- He makes nations great
- He destroys nations
- He enlarges nations
- He leads nations away
- He takes away understanding for the chief people of the earth
- He makes the chief people of the earth wander in a pathless waste
- He makes the chief people of the earth grope in the dark without light
- He makes the chief people of the earth stagger like a drunken man
Yes, when going through the deep darkness of sorrow and hurt, it is good to reflect on our Sovereign Lord. Dear Father, may I not forget this and encourage others not to forget this. May we ponder Your Sovereignty by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXXrk1IXluY