Overwhelmed? Keep This in Mind…
Who decided that rainy days and Mondays are bad?
A recent rainy Monday had me dwelling on this thought. I kept asking myself, “Who told you that rainy days and Mondays are bad?”
A part of me thinks it may have been the Carpenters, as I listened to their album on repeat as a child, but then I would also be On Top of the World!
But seriously…
What makes a rainy day so bad?
Why do Mondays get such a bad rap?
Like a flood breaching the water gate, the questions continued to flow.
If we “curse” God for a rough bought in life, do we remember to praise Him in the good times?
If God answered all of our prayers in the way we would like them to be answered, would He still be a good God?
If God is “good” all of the time (according to our standards), would He still be just?
My curiosity brought me to the book of Job. (If you haven’t read the story, it’s a doozy.)
After 37 LONG chapters of Job and his three friends lamenting, bantering, and judging Job God finally responds. (Sidenote: If your friends are like Job’s friends, consider finding a new gang),
The following excerpts are from Job 38-41 MSG Translation -which, as my friend Allison likes to say, “is gritty and in your face!”
“Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you are talking about? ... Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much!”
“Have you ever ordered morning to get up and told dawn, ‘Get to work!’”
“Do you know where light comes from and where darkness lives so you can take them by the hand and lead them home when they get lost?”
“Does anyone know enough to number all of the clouds or tip over the rain barrels of Heaven when the earth is cracked and dry, the ground baked hard as a brick?”
Do you presume to tell me what I am doing wrong? Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint?
God confronts Job. Emphasizing His omniscience. Reminding Job of just how Big He (God) is.
From the beginning of creation to the destruction of the earth as we know it, God sits on the throne.
He is in charge.
He is El Roi – God of Sight.
And He sees you and me.
Reading the scriptures above brings us to the humbling realization that we do not know and never will know the whole story- this side of Heaven. But we can trust in the One who does.
The next time you feel overwhelmed by your circumstances:
Remember who sits on the throne
Focus on how Big God is
Have faith that He is at work
While we don’t have the whole story- we know how it ends!