Devotion - Monday, October 1

I am reaching the end of the book of Job.  Job's friends have made their case; Job has refuted their insistence that he must have done something deserving of God's punishment.  While we may wish that Job had a differing answer to the question of why bad things happen to us, in the end the only response given is that God understands such things - and we do not.

During the discourse, the notion that God has some plan or purpose for the suffering is also rejected.  Job continues to ask God why all this suffering has come to him.  

In the 40th chapter, God answers Job:  Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you declare to me."

There are answers for many of the questions we ask.  There are replies to most of those questions in our Bibles.  When there are replies, but no answers, the reply is typically a reminder that God is God and we are not.  While some will kick and punch at the barrier which separates the two, those of us who have come to trust in God are more likely to be grateful that the items which lie beyond our comprehension are in the hands of our Master and Lord.

Today, in your classes and in your labs you will discover many things which were previously unknown to you.  It is God's gift to you, to provide opportunity for you to expand your knowledge and broaden your world view.  Tonight, as you say your prayer and prepare for your rest, be thankful for all that you have been able to learn.  Then rest comfortably in the assurance that the unknown is unknown to you, but carefully monitored by the God to whom you offer those prayers.