Job's response prompts me to think of what this says to our twenty-first-century world. What needed messages it offers to our times!
The first: If God's ways are higher than mine, then I bow before Him in submission. The result of that attitude is true humility. Submission to the Father's will is the mark of genuine humility. And all of us could use a huge dose of that. How unusual to find a humble spirit in our day, especially among the competent, the highly intelligent, the successful.
Here's the second: If God is in full control, then however He directs my steps, I follow in obedience. What relief that brings! Finally, I can relax, since I'm not in charge.
I was speaking at a pastors' conference at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago not long ago. The most vivid memory of that conference was the large sign up front. It was hung above the platform for all in attendance to read each time we came together. In big, bold letters it read:
Relax Everybody, for Once You're Not in Charge.
The auditorium was full of pastors—fifteen hundred in all! And each one of us is usually in charge (we think), only to show up at this conference and be reminded to relax—we're not in charge. It was an encouraging relief for everybody in attendance.
That's the sign God stretched in front of Job. "You're not in charge of anything, Job; this is My responsibility. You're my servant; I'm your Master. I know what I'm doing." Since God knows what He's doing, however He directs my steps, I simply follow. What an encouraging relief that should bring!
What do you feel about letting God control your life—relief, frustration, panic? What can you do to help yourself relax in His control?
Taken from Great Days with the Great Lives by Charles Swindoll. Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com
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