“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?…Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.” – Job 38:1-2,4
“Then Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.” – Job 40:3-4
“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” – Psalm 8:3-4
Today, my God is so big. Actually, He’s big, and amazing, and awesome, and completely beyond my comprehension every day. But today, I am keenly aware of Who He is, and if there’s a place for everything, then I am happy to report that I have been put in mine.
You see, I just returned from a few days in Niagara Falls, Canada. Growing up in the Buffalo area, I’ve been there many times. My dad even worked as a U.S. Customs Inspector at the Peace Bridge (his summer job during his early teaching years), so we did plenty of day trips to Niagara Falls). But this time was different. My husband wisely insisted that we get as close to the water as possible. There are plenty of man-made attractions in a hyper-developed tourist area like the Falls (modern man is still forever trying to outbuild God’s creation and rebuild the Tower of Babel). But God’s majesty in those incredible waterfalls still outshines all the tinsel that man has tried to hang on that world wonder (Psalm 19:1, Romans 1:20, Revelation 4:11).
It made me feel small. To be reminded of how BIG He is – to stand on a boat, then in a cave, then on a boardwalk, all in the shadow of those mighty, thundering waters – made me feel unbelievably, infinitesimally small, and dare I say, a little helpless. It was definitely a “How Great Thou Art” moment. I’ll say it again: it put me in my place.
In Job 38, God puts Job in his place. This chapter (and the one after it) are filled with images that simply boggle the mind. Job seems to be nearing his breaking point. He has lost his ten children, his wealth and his health, all by the unseen and unbridled hand of Satan (remember, God said Satan could take everything but Job’s life in Job 2:6). His wife has turned on him, and as if that wasn’t enough, his three closest “friends” spend a good 30 chapters trying to verbally beat a confession out of Job (Job 19:2-3). Convinced that Job must have something to hide (why else would God allow trouble?), they are relentless.
But after they have run their mouths for what had to have been days, God finally steps in to set the record straight. He is sovereign. He doesn’t owe man an explanation, and even if He chose to give one, we could never wrap our feeble and finite minds around it (Psalm 135:6, Job 38:4,10,12, Isaiah 45:9-12, Daniel 4:35, Ephesians 3:20). In our pride, we desperately crave understanding. We have the audacity to think that sorting out the mysteries of creation puts us in league with the Creator. We think that making money, maintaining our own little checklists, and building our own little kingdoms in our own little power puts us in league with the King of Kings. We think that our rags of human righteousness put us in league with a perfect and holy God, and we torture ourselves thinking that we have to figure our way out of the problems that only He can fix.
Know your place and embrace it. He is everything, and we are nothing, but because He first loved us, we can have everything through the righteousness of His Son (I John 3:1, 4:18-19). He is great and mighty and awesome, and we are weak and small, but because He is so great, our problems, our needs, and our fears all shrink in His presence (Psalm 27:1, Isaiah 41:10). That worry that keeps you up at night is a small thing to Him. He cares, but He is nowhere near overwhelmed.
It’s true – there is a place for everything. God’s place is on the throne of our lives. Our place is on our knees. And the place for everything that ails us is at the foot of the cross. Be amazed at all He is. Be humbled by all you are not. Give God the glory, and give Him His rightful place.
YOUR PRESCRIPTION
Does God have His rightful place in your life? Let creation remind you of His awesomeness and put you in your place. Stop controlling, stop questioning, and start humbling yourself before the great and mighty God Who loves you.
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