Well, here we are, a new year! Our study has started a new journey and we begin the year waist deep in book of Job.
Job is a fantastic book- all of the action is in the first two chapters and Job and his boys re-hash it for the 40 remaining chapters. Guys think that girls over-discuss things? Puh-lease!!
When trouble hits Job, his initial response is pretty confident, “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” (ch 2:10). His friends join him and initially they just sit in silence, but then they start talking and don’t stop. They tell Job that he’s being punished by God for some sin that he is not willing to admit to. Job stands firm in his innocence but wishes that he had a mediator to plead his cause to God. Job’s initial confidence fades after his friends give their 2 cents worth.
As I continued to read and approached the end of the dialogue, a fourth person enters the picture to accuse Job, but he tells Job something interesting. This whole time, Job has been yearning to hear from God but only hears silence. Elihu says:
“God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in bed. He whispers in their ear and terrifies them with his warning. He causes them to change their minds; he keeps them from pride. He keeps them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death.” (33:14-16)
This made me wonder if maybe God was trying to talk to Job but Job couldn’t hear him over the noise of his “friends”. This made me wonder if I was making enough time to hear God over my own noise. I want to hear what God has to say to me. I want the dreams, visions, all of that, but am I making room in my day for it or is my day filled with constant noise? Sometimes it’s hard to hear God over the roar of the world and everything that is pulling for your attention. Can I challenge you to make room for God? Find a quiet corner in your house. Use your drive home to listen for His voice. Turn off your phone or TV a few minutes before you go to bed and spend a few moments with Him instead. Enjoy the quiet and hear what HE has to say. ~Shiney
