Just Ask the Animals!

SCRIPTURE: “But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you; let the birds tell you what’s going on. Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics. Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories. Isn’t it clear that they all know and agree that God is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand— Every living soul, yes, every breathing creature? Isn’t this all just common sense, as common as the sense of taste? Do you think the elderly have a corner on wisdom, that you have to grow old before you understand life? True wisdom and real power belong to God; from him we learn how to live, and also what to live for. Job 12:7-13 MSG

THOUGHT: You have to admire Job’s grit. In the face of all that seemed unfair, painful, confusing, assaulting, his compass never changed. True north was the existence of God, and the belief that God was trustworthy despite the death of Job’s children, the loss of his fortune, and the breakdown of his health.

This is what God loved so much about Job, and David, and Mary, and Peter…. Faith in his faithfulness.

Here Job argues with his friends that it’s clear to him that God is in charge of every living creature, including him, and he doesn’t really need their high and mighty arguments to convince him of what common sense teaches. He could, however, use their compassion as he grapples with why bad things happen to good people.

PRAYER: When the world’s arguments seem to rip and tear at common sense, Lord God, help me hold on to the basics that all of creation is practically shouting. Day to day they pour forth speech (Ps. 19:2) that I can hold onto when nothing else makes sense. You are real and you are trustworthy.