#DailyDevotion Do You Armchair Quarterback With God?
February 17th
Read Job 13:1–12
Job 13:2-3 What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. (3) But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God. Job 13:7-11 Will you speak falsely for God and speak deceitfully for him? (8) Will you show partiality toward him? Will you plead the case for God? (9) Will it be well with you when he searches you out? Or can you deceive him, as one deceives a man? (10) He will surely rebuke you if in secret you show partiality. (11) Will not his majesty terrify you, and the dread of him fall upon you?
When we go and comfort people is it with the Word of God or what we think the Word of God says? Will you be convicted by God for speaking in his name falsely? Job certainly believes his friends don’t know what they are talking about. What truth they know and share, he also knows and it is doing no good. But on top of that they are speaking things which are not so and he calls them on it. When we speak words of comfort and go to minister to someone, are we speaking God’s Word rightly?
In his suffering Job calls to plead his case to the Almighty One himself! Job wants to argue with God. Now this would be an interesting thing to see and hear, particularly if God would answer. We know later on the Lord does answer and Job cannot answer the Lord. Yes we all would like to argue with the Lord about the how and whys of our life. We either don’t deserve what we’re going through or at we don’t deserve it this bad. We want to play the arm-chair, Monday night God and tell God how he ought to be running things. He obviously doesn’t know what he is doing, at least so we think.
We see this one ray of light in Job’s words. Job still looks to God, the Lord. He is still putting his trust in the Lord despite his misgivings of the Lord’s management of Job. We too need to be like Job and remain in relationship with our Lord and God Jesus Christ. He’s pretty thick skinned and I think he can handle our misgivings for a period of time. He does want to hear our soul’s complaint. He does promise he will give us the strength we need in times of weakness where his power is made perfect, complete.
It may be best to listen to those who are suffering and not interrogate them. Share what Word of God we can, particularly God’s promises to them. We can pray with them and lay bare their soul’s complaint before the Almighty with them and pray Christ’ strength and power be at work in them in the midst of their suffering.
Lord Jesus Christ, do not turn away from our soul’s complaint, but hear and listen to us as you have promised. Intercede for us at the right hand of God that your power is made perfect in our weakness and that we may be able to stand in the days of trials and tribulations. Amen.