Why? Because I Said So.

Source

After Job went through all of his trials God showed up, but probably not in the way he expected.  All along Job had been questioning why all of these terrible things were happening to him. His friends showed up but then they started to speculate and pontificate, making the situation worse, yet Job still had no idea why he was suffering. He didn't realize that this was something that God ordained.

If you've ever had a toddler that kept asking you why, you might be able to relate to Job. When you as the mother or parent finally say, it's because I said so, in that moment you are exerting your parental rights and authority. All questions cease because you said so.

Well, God finally showed up and in a manner of speaking said to Job, it's because I said so.

In Job 38 and 39 God appears to Job out of a whirlwind and immediately sets the tone: God said, "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"  I can imagine Job inwardly cringing and saying 'uh oh." God tells him he has to man up: "dress for action like a man, I will question you and you make it known to me.

God proceeds to give Job a dissertation on the universe in the form of questions that Job cannot answer or conceive the answers to:

• Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
• Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its place?
• Who kept the sea inside its boundaries and said here your proud waves must stop?
• Do you know where the gates of death are located?
• Where does light come from and where does darkness go?
• Have you visited the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of hail?
• Who created a channel for the torrents of rain?
• Who laid out the path for the lightning?
• Can you direct the movement of the stars?
• Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?
• Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind? (Job 38:36 - my new favorite verse)

And then He goes to the animals in the universe:

• Do you know when the wild goats give birth?
• Have you watched as deer are born in the wild?
• Who gives the wild donkey its freedom?
• Will the wild ox consent to being tamed?
• He mentions the ostrich who appears dumb but has great speed to protect her offspring.
• Have you given the horse its strength or clothed its neck with a flowing mane?
• Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar and spread its wings toward the south?
• Is it at your command that the eagle rises to the heights to make its nest?

• And finally - shall a fault finder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.

 Job is not the first person to think that he could get the answer he wanted from God. At the end of this questioning, Job recognized that even though he wanted answers from God all along, he could not answer God's questions. Job saw his limitations and recognized his weakness. Job was humbled. I want to be aligned with someone who is all powerful - not just a mere man.
In our trials, we are never alone. God is there and if we will just still our minds, we can hear what he is trying to tell us.

Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind? Job 38:36 [NLT]

Can you remember a time when God showed up? Was it during a tumultuous time? How do you feel about the sovereignty of God - i.e. because I said so?