Job 38:1-7 Common English Bible
The Lord answers from a whirlwind
38 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
2 Who is this darkening counsel
with words lacking knowledge?
3 Prepare yourself like a man;
I will interrogate you, and you will respond to me.
The establishing of order
4 Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?
Tell me if you know.
5 Who set its measurements? Surely you know.
Who stretched a measuring tape on it?
6 On what were its footings sunk;
who laid its cornerstone,
7 while the morning stars sang in unison
and all the divine beings shouted?
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
The opening chapters of Genesis teaches us just how the universe was created.
The Voice of God booming forth from the Whirlwind in the end of The Book of Job tells us that and much more.
God set the foundation of the universe, stretched out the measuring lines in the dawn of creation (when the morning stars sang together with all the heavenly host), but God is also very much still in the act of creation.
He knows where the storehouses of snow and hail are, where all the bolts of lightening gather before their use.
He carries the light of day to its place every morning, and then ushers it out again every night.
He helps the eagle soar, the lion roar, He watches over and tames Leviathan when it roils the deep waters.
God announces he is present in the terrific and the mundane.
God is everywhere.
Active.
Thoughtful.
Crafting the ebb and flow of creation, and each day’s journey.
But, why is this here?
Why in Job?
Literarily it serves as the answer to all of Job’s questions:
Sit down you silly boy, you have no idea what’s going on in the universe around you. You have no idea Who it is that you’re talking to.
But, in a book about dealing with 1000/1000 magnitude of tragedy, and dealing with it in a truly faithful manner, it serves as a reminder of the Bigger Picture.
Yes, our problems matter.
And when we’re grieving and mourning, those who we mourn for matter.
Our tears are real.
Our pain is real.
Our confusion, denial, and anger are real.
But, we begin the process of healing when we re-engage the world around us.
When we pick up our heads and we look around at the vastness of earth, and the intricacies of life.
In the midst of grief we feel rudderless and beyond help.
Adrift.
Lost.
But, we aren’t.
The world still turns on its God assigned axis.
The sun still rises and sets.
God is still on his throne in heaven, and the mighty eagle still soars above.
The Whirlwind comes across as a reproach—in the context of Job’s narrative, that’s indeed what it is.
But, it’s more than that.
It’s the first dawn when we are lifted out of the fog, and remember that we’re in the Presence of God Almighty.
The God who created the heavens and the earth, and the God who still creates.
“Life is but a Weaving” (The Tapestry Poem) by Corrie ten Boom
February 21, 2018 by Jane Beal
My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.
Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.
Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned
He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.
Corrie ten Boom
In this poem, the Dutch writer Corrie Ten Boom compares her life to a tapestry woven by God.
She says that God weaves both joy and sorrow into her life, and it is as though she sees only the back of the tapestry.
She says she cannot understand how the strands could ever make something beautiful.
But God understands and has a plan for how everything in her life will come together for his beautiful purpose.
Job, to whom God is speaking in our reading today, is a bit like that—seeing only the back of the tapestry of his life.
Job has had to deal with terrible suffering and tragedy, he does not understand why it all happened.
God responds with a poetic speech about the creation of the world.
God is the one who created everything, including things that are so mysterious that we don’t even know how to speak about them.
God reminds Job of this in order to both challenge and assure him.
God challenges Job to be humble about his own knowledge.
And God assures Job he has a plan, even though it may be hard to understand.
We are like Job in this way too.
There are many things about God’s purposes that we do not understand.
But God promises to provide for us and for the world he has beautifully made.
Psalm 23 Expanded Bible
The Lord the Shepherd
A psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I ·have everything I need [L will lack nothing].
2 He ·lets me rest [makes me lie down] in green pastures.
He leads me to ·calm [quiet] water.
3 He ·gives me new strength [T renews my soul].
He leads me on paths that are ·right [righteous; or straight]
for the ·good [sake] of his ·name [reputation].
4 Even if I walk through ·a very dark valley [or the shadow of death],
I will ·not be afraid [T fear no evil],
because you are with me.
Your rod and your shepherd’s staff comfort me.
5 You prepare a ·meal [L table] for me
in ·front [the presence] of my enemies.
You ·pour oil of blessing on my head [anoint my head with oil; C oil was a means of refreshment in a hot, dry environment];
you ·fill my cup to overflowing [L make my cup overflow; C a cup of blessing].
6 Surely your goodness and ·love [loyalty; T mercy] will ·be with [pursue; T follow] me
all my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord ·forever [L for length of days].
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Praying ….
Psalm 56:8-13 Expanded Bible
God,
8 You have ·recorded [recounted] my ·troubles [wanderings].
You have ·kept a list of my tears [L put my tears in your bottle].
Aren’t they in your records?
9 On the day I call for help, my enemies will ·be defeated [L turn back].
I know that God is on my side.
10 I praise God for his word to me;
I praise the Lord for his word.
11 I ·trust [have confidence] in God. I will not be afraid.
What can people do to me?
12 God, I must keep my ·promises [vows] to you.
I will give you my ·offerings to thank you [thank offerings],
13 because you have ·saved [protected] me from death.
You have kept ·me from being defeated [L my feet from falling].
So I will walk ·with [L in the presence of] God
in light ·among [of] the living.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 