The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.
Job 38:1-11
He Was There
Proper [07], Third Sunday after Pentecost, 21 June 209
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sometimes we think we know better. I’m not merely describing the common relationship between parents and children or even husbands and wives. This situation is far more significant. Sometimes we think we know better than God. That’s big.
We are not the first to behave like the stereotypical all-knowing teenagers ready to move out of the house. And we will not be the last.
The patriarch Job had questions. He wanted answers. And the answer he received from the Lord God Himself was not the kind of answer he expected, because it was another question: Where were you?
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
“Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?
The point? Sometimes we think we know better, but we don’t. Our wisdom is an illusion. God’s is real. Why? He was there to lay the foundation of the earth. He determined its measurements. He stretched the line, sunk the bases, laid its cornerstone, shut in the sea, made the clouds, and set limits. He was there. And we were not.
Genesis 1:1-5 says it this way: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Job was not the first to behave like the stereotypical all-knowing teenagers ready to move out of the house. And he was not the last. Consider the disciples in today’s Holy Gospel from Mark 4:35-41: On that day, when evening had come, he [Jesus] said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
In their fear, they thought they knew better. Perhaps they thought they cared about themselves more than they thought Jesus cared about them. They were learning a truth that would eventually comfort them. John, one of those twelve wrote the following in John 1:1-4: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The point? The disciples thought they knew better, but they didn’t. Their wisdom, their understanding of the danger of the wind and the sea was an illusion. The Lord’s authority and power is real. Why? Jesus was there. He was there to lay the foundation of the earth. He determined its measurements. He stretched the line, sunk the bases, laid its cornerstone, shut in the sea, made the clouds, and set limits. Jesus was there. And we were not.
Therefore, the next time you think for a moment that you know better than the Lord, reconsider quickly. The Lord who created the whole universe holds you as a dear father holds his dear children in the palm of His hand. He cares. And He may allow temporary discomfort for your eternal good because He has the big picture in mind.
Consider a drive west on US 14A, the highway that is closed all winter and only opens up when it is nearly summer. It’s neat to see snow up there in June. And the scenery is beautiful, but people, both riders and drivers, may tire of the curves and the steep grade of the road. You learn quickly that if your brakes are to survive the 10% grade, you’ll need to shift to a lower gear, manual or automatic. You face driving challenges that you wouldn’t face on boring, long, straight interstate highway. And then comes the benefit. You see it. You can see all of the colors of a gorgeous panorama of the Bighorn basin, the rusty reds, deep blues, and rich purples, the dry yellows, spring and summer greens, dark browns, and the puffy white clouds above. The challenge of the journey is forgotten because of what you get to experience there.
The Lord cares. He provides daily bread and the comfort that you can talk directly to Him in prayer. He knows the adversity and temptation you face, so He provides Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, and His Holy Word for your forgiveness. He knows your past, your present, and your future, and He can see it all at once, like you can see for miles from the top of the Bighorns. He cared for the disciples. He cared for Job. He cared about you enough to create you as He did Adam and Eve and re-create you in Christ Jesus. He will continue to care for you. Amen.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
