More thoughts on Job

A quick update before my "Job thoughts": we had a doctor appointment on Monday, and all was well. Baby's heartbeat is still nice and strong...150 beats/minute. I think she's playing soccer int here! :) All of my signs were good as well, praise God. I had to take the second of the two gestational diabetes tests. Hopefully it will come back negative. For all who have done this, that is such a nasty, syrupy orange drink!! Daniel and I are leaving this afternoon (assuming the place isn't flooded!) to stay in a cottage on Carlyle Lake in southern Illinois. Just a last getaway for just the two of us before number three comes along. We're both really excited about getting some good "us time".

Sunday was the last in the Job sermon series. It has been a really good one, just dealing with the age-old issue of pain and suffering. This Sunday we made it to the end of the book where God finally speaks to Job and "takes him to the zoo"! I love that God leads Job on a whirlwind tour of creation, and I especially love that God gets so sarcastic with Job!! Job has been claiming that he is totally innocent, therefore God owes him an explanation for all of his suffering. God never really answers him. We know the answer, because we read chapters 1 and 2, but Job never gets an answer of why he had to suffer. Two thoughts on this:
1) When God takes Job on a tour of the universe, it is as if God is saying, "If you can't understand all that you can see, what makes you think you could understand what you can't see?" (ie, God's reasons behind it all) Just because there is not a reason that Job (or I!!) can understand, that doesn't mean that God doesn't have a reason. The biggest struggle for Job (or, again, for me!) is to trust someone Who has the right not to tell me about every nth detail of His plan; it is my (see! I'm not really talking about Job anymore!) presumption that I could actually understand God if He explained Himself to me!
2) Instead of answering Job's questions, God answers Job himself...He answers Job's deepest need to know God, to see God face to face. I think that it is a true statement that if I cannot be content with the Answerer, I will not be content with any answer.
This is all very hard. I WANT to be able to have answers! Daniel always gets frustrated with me because I always want to know "why". Why he is doing something or why he is feeling a certain way. I suppose God probably gets frustrated with me too, and says "Just trust Me!! Trust that I am in control and that I love you. Trust Me without demanding an explanation" Perhaps what I should ask for, instead of answers, is just to know God, to see Him face to face. Perhaps then I would also say with Job, "My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You...I repent." (Job 42.5-6)