I was so encouraged the other day on thinking of Job and this thought came to mind, “GOD EXPRESSED HIS SOVEREIGNTY THROUGH SILENCE.” — He never told Job “why? But He was Sovereign over satan; He was Sovereign over Creation; He was Sovereign over life and death. He was Sovereign over wealth and Poverty; He was Sovereign over health and illness… all these are in Job and then He asks Job “where were you when I…..” And Job sees Him as Sovereign Creator- He is God. He did not need to explain or ask permission, He is Sovereign King…Job never knew of the conversation in chapter 1 of how highly God spoke of him, knew he was HIS Servant… Job didn’t know about the slanders accusations…But you and I and millions do, Because with Job “The SECRET THINGS belong to the LORD, OUR God. BUT the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”{Deut 29:29}- Sometimes we don’t know “why.” Job’s friends sat in solidarity with him in silence… and then they spoke and spoke down to him and in chapter 6 he says that for the afflicted there should be kindness from his friends… I thought the one thing he needed was the one thing they showed a lack of “kindness for the afflicted one… from his friends.”-{Job 6:14}. They felt they had to speak because there had to be a reason “why?” and they took it upon themselves to STATE – the “why” it was happening, and unaware that God was working in the back-ground, Sovereignly recording the story of a man who suffered terribly, the loss of children, suffered emotionally at the hands of his “friends,”… and future generations could look in on this story of a man called “My Servant,” and see God. And “see,” there are times this side of Heaven we may never know “Why?” That the Silence of God on Job was not His Displeasure. He had greater things for Job to know- He Had HIMSELF- In the midst of his Suffering- God gave Job Himself!
People can get taken up that his health was restored, his wealth increased more etc…but that did not mean his children came back… the dear man suffered. “But God…” His ways are Higher… and as I thought on this beautiful thought that came to my mind. “God expressed His SOVEREIGNTY through His SILENCE…”- A CALM over me… and my pain had not changed- days when it is 8 out of 10… Horrendous, “But God…” imparted peace in the storm. Peace in my mind and calmness. I read something where one man said in Suffering and God’s sovereignty his observation of Jesus in His earthly ministry was one of “compassion,” towards the suffering, He healed their illness, He cast out demons… and his point in suffering – show compassion… I thought that was so, so good… so here is my thoughts…conclusion, on my thinking on God’s Sovereignty and Job…
1. – GOD EXPRESS HIS SOVEREIGNTY THROUGH SILENCE.– He never told Job “why.” He is not obligated.
2.-GOD’S SILENCE WAS NOT A SIGN OF HIS DISPLEASURE WITH JOB.
3. – DON’T ASSUME OR CONCLUDE YOU KNOW,”WHY.” For some, to NOT know “Why,” they cannot handle it for they feel out of control, and they want to be in control, and so they make conclusions they know “why,” and tell, if not to the suffering one, then whispers to others the reason “why.’ And in doing so often can add extra stress and add to their suffering more pain, because of the selfishness of a person who cannot handle not knowing why because it leaves them feeling out of control. They want to play Sovereign! Ignorance, arrogance and presumption can be a force for evil. Seeking o satisfy one owns curiosity at the expense of one suffering before the, Callous. God was working a story that none of them knew about but their need to have to be ale to understand for their own “peace” of mind, to the hurt of a suffering brother, should be a lesson for us all. Be slow to speak!
4.- WE MUST LEAVE THE SOVEREIGNTY… TO GOD, AND WE MUST FOCUS ON BEING KIND TO THE SUFFERING.
Jesus looked with “compassion…” and acted. When Jesus was on earth and we see He exercised compassion for the suffering, He healed the sick, cast out demons, those suffering were often the beneficiary of His compassion, those dead in sin, without hope and God He came and seeing them said in Matthew 9.. He looked on them with compassion, not contempt, not as an inconvenience, but compassion. Compassion is to see a situation and own it as your own. It is as the good Samaritan, the religious walked by the man lying beaten up by the side of the road, he went and stopped. stooped down, picked up the man and took him to an inn and paid for him to be helped and said if any more was owed he would take care of it. He owned the suffering of another as if it was his own. Sorrow will ore your emotions. Compassion will move your will, to act! He expressed compassion. Mercy in action…. One man said, “Show me the compassion of a man and I will show you His usefulness.”
KINDNESS; In his great suffering, what Job wanted was “Kindness,” and he did not get it. “Love is continually KIND”-{1 Cor 13:4}. Kindness, SPENDS ITSELF O OTHERS. Kindness is expressing good towards others, spending yourself on them. We must concentrate on being kind to them with our words, if we must speak, sometimes silence is a Great gift to the suffering one, where they do not feel they have to talk, explain. But the deeds of kindness are to be expressed. Asking “What can i do that would help you?” is a good place to start. ” Be being kind…” {Eph 4:28}
“GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY EXPRESSED THROUGH SILENCE.”-This thought calmed my mind and heart in the midst of weeks where my pain has intensified, the majority of days, the pain is 8 out of 10. and the intensity leaves me clamping down on my teeth, and it wears me out as my body attacks itself, and then there are times the pain lessens… and then flares up again and has left me weak, and the pain has debilitated me, to walk is hard, at times my voice is a forced whisper, sometimes I go to talk and nothing comes out, sometimes it is stronger but never its normal sound, at times my speech is slurred. Some nights I get no sleep, and the fatigue from the pain is exhausting and the sleep deprivation adds to it. Morning comes and nothing to look forward to, not able to go anywhere. I could not make it see a Dr today, too weak to go… tomorrow a different Dr. maybe I will get to see him. Traveling in a car wears me out, the vibration of it is like someone hitting my muscles with every bump in the road it is painful. This is not a complaint . This is my life.
Most of my day is spent in my bedroom at least a good 23 hours. I try to get up to say hello to whoever is in the house, but get weak and go back to my room and sit down. Alone by myself, day in and day out. Too weak to get out. Alone in my room most of the day. But I am not alone. For He is with me. I am here and His Sovereign love sees me and yet I am not alone.His kindness in giving me a verse, a thought, and pulling from verses of old to my mind to meditate on and pray them and pray for others and in it He gives me a thought, a verse, that sets my thoughts going and then I come back to it again and it soothes my frazzled mind. It calms my heart , and this one thought has nourished me and been a spring board into thinking of some of the above thoughts I have shared with you.
“GOD EXPRESSED HIS SOVEREIGNTY THROUGH SILENCE.”- And I can live with that. And as I write, the words of the hymn rise, a hymn I have not thought of for who knows when…
“It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.”
“Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.”