“When God is going to do something wonderful, He begins with a difficulty…. When He is going to do something miraculous, He begins with an impossibility” (Charles Inwood).
Would you like to see God do the miraculous in your life? Just observe nature through the rain, clouds and lightning. God commands the powerful lightning to strike at the exact spot where He directed. He causes floods to punish and rain to provide. God does this to get our attention so we stop our labor and get to know His work instead.
Listen with Wisdom
The three men stopped answering Job because he was righteous in his own eyes and justified himself. Elihu became very angry with his three friends who condemned Job without refuting him. Elihu was the youngest and said a man’s spirit gave understanding. He waited and listened to their reasoning, but none proved Job wrong or answered his arguments. Elihu was like bottled-up wine and spoke to find relief without flattery (Job 32:1-22). Listen with wisdom when someone justifies himself.
Pray for Purity
Elihu told Job that his words came from an upright heart. He heard Job say that he was pure without sin but God found fault with him. God spoke in dreams and visions while men slept to prevent pride and being killed in battle. A man may find constant distress as his flesh wasted away to nothing. If an angel acted graciously as a mediator, then his flesh was renewed like a child’s. He prayed to God, found favor, shouted for joy and was restored to his righteous state. He told men that he sinned and God redeemed his soul from the pit to enjoy the light. Elihu wanted Job to be cleared as he taught him wisdom (Job 33:1-33). Pray for purity so you are restored to righteousness.
Trust God’s Fairness
Elihu asked the other wise men to discern and learn together what was right and good. Job said he was innocent but God denied him justice and inflicted an incurable wound. Elihu said God would not do evil but repaid a man what his conduct deserved. God sustained the life of everyone and showed no partiality to princes and did not favor the rich over the poor. He saw men’s ways, punished wickedness and heard the cries of the needy. God kept the godless man from ruling and laying snares on the people. Elihu said Job should be tested for answering like a wicked man since he rebelled against God by multiplying words against Him (Job 34:1-37). Trust God’s fairness to punish wickedness and not favor the rich.
Pray for Wisdom and Relief
Elihu questioned Job’s thinking that there was no gain in not sinning since it affected himself. Men cried under oppression but did not acknowledge God their Maker who gave songs in the night and taught wisdom. He would not answer men cries because of their arrogance. Elihu questioned Job’s assertions that God did not punish or notice wickedness (Job 35:1-16). Pray for wisdom and relief from wickedness.
Repent of Evil
Elihu said God was just and mighty in His purpose and did not despise men. He gave the afflicted their rights, kept His eyes on the righteous, enthroned them with kings and exalted them forever. If men were bound with chains and held fast by cords of affliction, He commanded them to repent of their evil. If they obeyed and served God, they experienced prosperity and contentment. By not listening, they died without knowledge (Job 36:1-12). Repent of evil and obey God to experience freedom, prosperity and contentment.
Exalt God’s Greatness
The godless of heart harbored resentment and did not cry for help. God was wooing Job from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction in the comfort of a table laden with choice food. Be careful not to be enticed with riches or a large bribe instead of affliction. Because God exalted Himself in His power, glorify His greatness and His works. Just as He spread out the clouds, scattered His lightning and commanded it to strike its mark, God governed the nations and provided food in abundance (Job 36:13-33). Exalt God’s greatness and power as you look to Him for abundance and provision.
Stop Your Labor
Listen to the roar of God’s voice when He unleashed His lightning and thundered with His majestic voice to hold nothing back. He did great things beyond understanding by telling the snow to fall on the earth and the rain shower to be a mighty downpour. He did this so all men would stop their labor and know His work. The breath of God produced ice, loaded the clouds with moisture and scattered His lightning through them. They swirled around at His direction and command to punish men or water His earth to show His love (Job 37:1-13). Stop your labor by reflecting on God’s power in nature to punish men or show His love.
Revere God’s Attributes
Elihu told Job to stop and consider God’s wonders in hanging the clouds and making His lightning flash in perfect knowledge. Since humankind cannot do these things, what right do they have to tell Him what to do. Because God Almighty was beyond reach and exalted in power with justice and great righteousness, He did not oppress. Therefore, men revere Him as He regarded the wise in heart (Job 37:14-24). Revere God’s attributes and do not tell Him what to do.
How to see the miraculous occur in your life:
1. Listen with wisdom
2. Pray for purity
3. Trust God’s fairness
4. Pray for wisdom and relief
5. Repent of evil
6. Exalt God’s greatness
7. Stop your labor
8. Revere God’s attributes
