August 1 – Master of the Morning (Job 38:1-21)

“Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?”(Job 38:12)

IN WORD:
This is God’s question to the human ego. He has a way of reminding us of our limitations whenever we get too comfortable with our understanding. When things just don’t make sense to us, God reminds us that they don’t have to. We’re not in charge. Our understanding isn’t key to the operation of this creation. We can participate in it without being in control or knowing everything there is to know. In fact, we must. Control and omniscience are not options for us.
Why does God so frequently put us in our place? Because He has to. We repeatedly grow out of our dependence on Him and try to manage things on our own. We sometimes ask questions that implicitly accuse Him of being inept or unknowledgeable. We seek to control our world and master our resources. God has to remind us that we can’t. That’s His job. Our role is dependence and trust.
That shouldn’t make us feel too bad. Righteous Job had to be reminded as well. He got caught up in thinking his trials were all about him — what he had or had not done, or what he could do to get out of it. He didn’t realize that his trials were all about God and the true worth of worship. Job’s questions were presumptuous. Sometimes, so are ours.

IN DEED:
Do you have a tendency to want to control your environment? Do you feel out of control when your situation gets out of hand? That isn’t a problem. You were never in control anyway, no matter how much you thought you were. God is our Master. He commands the dawn and holds the vastness of the creation in His hand. He has put everything in its place. When our circumstances feel out of place, we are to go to Him. The answer is always there, and we cannot be impatient for it. The wisdom of God is entirely trustworthy. Wait for it. Believe in it. Rest in the knowledge that He will help you in His perfect timing. He will break into your trial like the dawning of the day.

“Immortal, invisible, God only wise, in light inaccessible, hid from our eyes.” -Walter Chalmers Smith-