Assume Not
by Jenny Sung, Executive Coordinator
Then Job answered the Lord: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. (Job 42:1-3)
I have a pet peeve of sorts. I’m not sure why, but when people finish my sentences or assume they know what I am thinking, and they’re WRONG, it rubs me the wrong way. Oftentimes I am not thinking or feeling what they assume. They don’t fully understand the situation, the history or my thought process, yet they speak as if they do. Perhaps that is why I value those who ask questions and listen well.
Yet as I reflected upon today’s passage in Job, I realize I do the VERY SAME thing to God! In moments of self-righteousness and ignorance, I assume I know more than the almighty, all-knowing, everlasting God. I utter things “I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
Many know the story of Job where he was tested and lost everything––property, riches, relationships, family, health––and Job argues with God to the point that God responds to Job in the whirlwind. In breathtaking prose, God speaks. “Where were you when I….” ... “Can you” ... “Look at” ... “Who can?”
Then in humility and repentance Job utters, “I know that You can do all things,” and then worships God. We know the end of Job’s story, how God restores all that Job had and more.
We don’t know the end of our own story yet, but we can trust God in the whirlwind. It takes humility and a soft heart to yield to God in the greater work that He is doing in our lives. Sometimes we think we know more than God and want to accuse, put God in the wrong, or condemn Him (Job 40:8). We think we understand all there is to understand in the situation.
But throughout the Bible we see the overarching character of God––the God who keeps His covenant promises with His people; the God who forgives over and over again; the God who longs to draw His own very close, like a mother hen to her chicks; the God who sent His only Son Jesus to bear our sins and die a painful death on the cross. Why? Because God is love, and His very nature encompasses all that surrounds love.
As we go through our 40-day fast as the body of Christ this Lent, let us become even more aware of His leading. Let us listen well. Let us be the people of God with soft, pliable hearts, moldable like clay in the potter’s hands. We can trust Him the One who can do all things and loves us with an everlasting love.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for loving me, even when I assume things I do not know, or want to control my life and be the center of our universe. Forgive me and draw me closer to You. I want to have a soft and moldable heart. I want to listen well. I want to be conformed to Your image and submit to Your will. Thank You for being my God. In Jesus name I pray, Amen
