The Wonder of Knowing Him…Part 1
Four gifts. One extraordinary God.
When the words on the page become the words my heart needs.
I love the book of Job.
I know. That may seem like an unusual place to begin a series about gratitude.
But every time I read Job, I think about my late husband, George.
George and a couple of his friends could sit around for hours, usually drinking a beer, debating just about anything. They would take opposing positions simply for the fun of debating. I can still picture them sitting around a campfire, a bar, or a television, each one convinced his was the better argument.
So when I read about Job and his friends, I can almost see George sitting among them.
Job's friends initially did something remarkable. They sat with him for seven days and seven nights without saying a word because they saw how deeply he was suffering.
Then they started talking.
And talking.
And debating.
They tried to explain Job's suffering, God's justice, and what Job must have done to deserve what was happening to him.
But Job wanted something more than their explanations.
He wanted God.
He Knows Where I Am
One morning, while working my way back to abiding, I found myself reading Job 23.
Job was searching for God. He wanted to find Him, present his case, and hear what God had to say.
But he could not find Him.
Then Job made this extraordinary declaration:
"But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold." — Job 23:10, NLT
Job could not find God.
But God knew exactly where Job was.
I sat with that thought.
I know what it is to have questions. To wonder what God is doing. To walk through circumstances I would never have chosen.
I also know what it is to look back and recognize that God was doing something I could not understand at the time.
I, too, was being purified.
Discovering the God Behind the Words
As I continued reading Job, I found myself contemplating the God who created the heavens and the earth.
What is out there beyond our earth? Why did He create us? How can the One who laid the foundations of the world know me so personally?
When God finally answered Job, He did not provide a detailed explanation for everything Job had suffered.
Instead, He revealed something of His own greatness, wisdom, and authority.
Job had questions.
God had questions of His own.
And as I read those questions, I found myself seeing more than His power.
I saw His attention to detail. His wisdom. His care for a creation far greater than anything I could see or understand.
He knew where the stars belonged. He knew where the wild animals gave birth. He knew the boundaries of the sea.
And He knew Job.
What an extraordinary God.
The more I read, the more I realized that I was not simply learning about what God could do.
I was discovering more of who He is.
I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude.
Not because I suddenly understood everything.
But because I was reminded of who God is.
And because He has given us His Word so that we might know Him.
The Word That Invites Me Closer
It has become my practice to read through the Bible each year.
I enjoy choosing a different translation, reading the study notes, and discovering familiar passages expressed in ways that make me stop and think.
This is not a competition, a spiritual accomplishment, or a suggestion that everyone should follow my reading schedule.
It is simply one of the ways God has invited me to spend time with Him.
One year, I knew God was inviting me to read the entire Bible aloud in my house.
Not just read it.
Read it aloud.
In my house.
I did.
I cannot tell you everything God accomplished through that particular assignment. I can tell you that I obeyed what I believed He was asking me to do.
And I am grateful for the time I spent in His Word.
But as much as I enjoy reading through the Bible, I also love the mornings when I open it without a reading schedule.
Sometimes I ask God for a particular Scripture.
Perhaps I need encouragement. Perhaps I am struggling with a situation and need wisdom. Perhaps I am praying for someone else.
Sometimes I read an entire book.
Other mornings, I spend my time with one verse.
They Wanted to Hear Him
Recently, while reading Luke, I noticed something in the very first verse of chapter five.
The crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God's Word.
I stopped there.
They weren't gathering to complete a reading plan. They weren't checking off another spiritual responsibility.
They wanted to hear Him.
And as I continued reading, I watched what happened when Simon Peter encountered Jesus.
Jesus taught from Simon's boat. Then He instructed Simon to let down his nets, even though he had worked all night without catching anything.
Simon obeyed.
The miraculous catch that followed left him overwhelmed by the holiness of the One standing before him.
What began with listening ended with Peter leaving everything to follow Jesus.
The Word had brought him face-to-face with the One who would change his life.
I wonder how often I open my Bible looking for an answer when there is so much more of God Himself waiting to be discovered.
His faithfulness. His compassion. His holiness. His patience. His extraordinary love.
What a gift that He has made Himself known.
Even His Correction Is a Gift
There are mornings when His Word comforts me.
And there are mornings when it corrects me.
Those are not always my favorite mornings at the time.
As I have been making my way back to abiding, I have been reminded that the Lord disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6).
I have raised children, including 23 children I have welcomed into my home over the years.
And I have learned something about children.
They want boundaries.
They may test them. They may push against them. They may act as though the rules are the most unreasonable things they have ever encountered.
But boundaries provide security.
A loving parent does not abandon those boundaries simply because a child resists them.
Apparently, I tested God.
And I am grateful for the boundary.
Hebrews 4:12 describes God's Word as living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword.
Sometimes that living Word exposes something in me that needs to change. Other times, it reveals something about God that I have never fully understood.
Both are gifts.
His Word reveals His holiness and His mercy. His justice and His compassion. His faithfulness and His extraordinary patience.
The more I discover about Him, the more I recognize how much there is still to know.
And that makes me want to open my Bible again tomorrow.
A Gift I Never Want to Take for Granted
November is a month when we are encouraged to consider the things for which we are grateful.
Family. Friends. Homes. Jobs. Health. Provision.
All wonderful gifts.
But this year, I want to begin somewhere else.
I am grateful for the Word of God.
I am grateful that the Creator of the universe has made Himself known to me.
I am grateful that when I cannot understand what He is doing, I can return to His Word and be reminded of who He is.
Because the greatest gift of His Word is not simply the wisdom I gain from reading it.
It is the God I come to know through it.