The Case for God's Love Part One: The Big Picture

Even in this world of suffering and evil, you can trust in God and his love for you. Commit this week to trust God to work in all situations for your good and for His glory.

Over the course of the week you will find the scripture and a brief devotion that goes along with next Sunday's lesson posted on this blog. I will try to keep them brief since most of us don't need another task to add to our to do list. I hope that each of you finds this to be helpful and useful as we prepare for next Sunday morning and life in general. Feel free to comment, give suggestions, and add any insight God lays on your heart.

Scripture For Today
Background Passage: Job 40:1-9
Today’s Focal Passage: Job 40:1-9

1 The Lord answered Job: 2 Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who argues with God give an answer.
3 Then Job answered the Lord: 4 I am so insignificant. How can I answer You? I place my hand over my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not reply; twice, but now I can add nothing.
6 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: 7 Get ready to answer Me like a man; When I question you, you will inform Me. 8 Would you really challenge My justice? Would you declare Me guilty to justify yourself? 9 Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like His?

Because I’m the Daddy (or Momma), That’s Why

I know you have been there—after all, don’t all kids do this. You know, the constant “Why” questions. Eventually, we get to the point—even though we are trying to be accommodating and patient with our kids—when we just blurt out, “Because I’m the daddy, that’s why!” What we typically mean is that “I know more about this situation and my decision and you will just have to accept my decision.” We generally are not trying to be mean—we are just trying to put an end to the questioning.

It would seem logical to view this passage in the Book of Job from the same standpoint. Certainly, God would be within His right to say that. These verses, however, are more about pointing out the holy, unique, unequalled nature of God. All of the things in these verses and chapters of Job highlight the greatness and glory of God. (God’s reply to Job begins in chapter 38 and runs through chapter 41 with Job speaking only four sentences in 40:4-5.)

Way back in Job 31, Job questioned why he was in the situation in which he found himself. He had come to the point, as most of us would have, to begin to wonder, “Does God really love me? If so, why am I having to go through all of this?”

Natural questions. Really. God’s response, however, is a complete revelation to Job—and should be to us—of God’s great love for all people. When we look at the big picture, God is everything. Like Job, we really are insignificant in the grand scale of things.

In times of pain and suffering (like the disaster in Haiti below), we need to stop and realize that we don’t have the full picture. But we can rest in the assurance that God does. He is in control. He is sovereign. We can rest in that.