Day 12 of 365...
Job 32-34
Job 32:6-9 - "I am young in years, while you are old; therefore I was timid and afraid to tell you what I know. I thought that age should speak and maturity should teach wisdom. But it is a spirit in man and the breath of the Almighty that give him understanding. It is not only the old who are wise or the elderly who understand how to judge."
There's a younger man listening to Job and his friends go back and forth, and his name was Elihu. On a side note, I wonder how "young" he was because people were living for a long time back then. Was he ONLY 150? Anyway, I digress.... Elihu speaks with a good amount of wisdom and understanding. He is tired of hearing Job's friends condemning him and not speaking truth into his life. He is also tired of Job because Job, according to verse 2, was justifying himself instead of God. Finally, Elihu had enough and decided to speak. Usually, young men were the ones disputing things and the elder men acted as moderators, but in this instance, the roles are reversed. This passage was encouraging to me because Elihu understands where wisdom comes from. He also points out that just because you are old doesn't mean that you are wise. The challenge here for me is to rely on the Almighty for my wisdom and understanding. I've been in situations where I've spoken from my own "wisdom," and, surprisingly, it failed to resound with the person receiving such "wise" counsel. However, I've also been in situations where I could feel the Spirit speak through me, and, what the Spirit told me say, was exactly what that person needed at that time. The goal is for that to happen every time!
Job 33:12-16 - "But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter, since God is greater than man. Why do you take Him to court for not answering anything a person asks? For God speaks time and again, but a person may not notice it. In a dream, a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber on their beds, He uncovers their ears at that time and terrifies them with warnings,"
I love this particular passage! Elihu talks about different ways God tries to communicate to us. I hear God speak to me through many different avenues. I've had Him speak to me through a song, a movie, a friend, my wife, and many other things. However, the problem I tend to have is that I'm not listening all the time. There are days where the busyness of the day overwhelms me, and I don't listen as well as I should. It is in those moments where I am acutely aware of God speaking to me that I long for more of those moments. The idea is to try and cut out the distractions that I have. There are times when I need to slow things down or even refocus myself to be in tune with what God is trying to say to me. The other key to hearing from God, for me, is to want to hear what He has to say. There are times when I'm scared of what God may say, so I don't exactly seek His input. It is then that I realize that I can't have it both ways. Otherwise, it turns God into a Santa of sorts. I only want the blessings He gives me and not the correction. It is then that God's voice is harder to hear, because that's not how He operates.
Job 34:31-33 - "Suppose someone says to God, 'I have endured my punishment; I will no longer act wickedly. Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I won't do it again.' Should God repay you on your terms when you have rejected His? You must choose, not I! So declare what you know."
Elihu paints a perfect picture as to how to approach God. Many times, I approach God on my terms, but, Elihu points out that God needs to be approached on His terms. If I truly want to learn what God wants me to learn, then I have to submit to His way of teaching. While that's easy to say, putting that into practice is where it becomes quite difficult. I think that this is where the breakdown tends to happen. Why? God tends to ask me to do things that are uncomfortable. No one really enjoys being uncomfortable, but it is in that discomfort that understanding happens. I have reached a point in my life where I want to seek ways of being uncomfortable, which goes against everything society teaches. The way I see it, though, is the more uncomfortable I am, the more God is working in and through me. It is a humbling process, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
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