Secretariat’s opening scene, featuring Job 39.
Depending on the day, lately I find myself relating to the Biblical characters of Job or Jonah. Their stories were completely different, but both individuals were tested in their faith, love, and obedience towards God. Either way, neither Job or Jonah’s circumstances were ideal, favorable, or easy – they were downright challenging and difficult in every aspect. And at the end of both stories, God’s sovereignty reigned, not theirs. Hmm, a common theme. Some days I feel afflicted and oppressed like Job, crumbling under the weight of it all, trying to remain faithful. Some days I want to run away in disobedience like Jonah, fleeing from God’s will in my life when I feel it’s not my own.
No matter what, no matter where, no matter when… God’s will be done. Sometimes, as human beings with limited understanding, that’s a theme that’s hard to swallow or accept. We just don’t get it. We want to know WHY – we want to know all the answers in our way and on our time, and let’s be honest, we want it to be pain-free. Bzzzzz, wrong answer, not happening! Oof, a burst to our pride filled bubbles!
When I start to get huffy or my heart filled with discontent in my own circumstances, the unfairness of it all… I look to the last few chapters of Job, where I am reminded of God’s greatness and that he is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. And I am not. Ultimately, God works all things to the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose, (Romans 8:28). So if you believe that is true, then it goes to question the following: Will you follow God wherever he calls you, in whatever way that season unfolds? Will you worship God in the good times and the bad? Will you remain committed to your Lord and Savior in hope, in faith, in love, and obedience? Will you choose God daily? Will you trust Him?
I encourage you to read the stories of Job and Jonah and witness a majestic God, and be reminded of His miraculous sovereignty in all things, all ways, and all circumstances.
