“Are We Listening?”

Job 38-41  We have been waiting to hear God speak and answer Job and Satan. The one surprise is that God does not speak to Job’s suffering, nor does He answer Satan’s challenge. Nowhere in these chapters does God speak to Job’s dilemma at all. Instead, God reminds the listeners about Himself and His greatness. And how does God begin? Not in a soft whisper like he did with Elijah but in a whirlwind, a tempest or storm. That word sets the stage just as it did at the beginning. Why God chose that form to reveal Himself to Job is left for us to ponder.

God is God, and He will decide whatever way He wishes. Sometimes He speaks in a soft whisper and sometimes in a whirlwind.  “He is not a man that He should change His mind,” nor is he a man who needs to compromise or offer emotions like the man he created. This is a powerful lesson as we wander through the 77 questions He asks Job.

 Imagine yourself as Job sitting in your sackcloth and ashes and facing this! We don’t find Job bowing, worshiping, or doing any of the things such as the Apostle John when he fell at his feet as dead. We do find that Job is in listening mode, and that is where we need to be. God will use whatever He chooses to get our attention.

The question before us is: are we listening?