Job 38 Devotional

Rain on an Empty Desert

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.”Job 38:4 (BSB)

At last, the LORD answers Job out of the whirlwind (38:1). He does not explain the heavenly scene of chapters 1 and 2. Instead, he asks questions. Was Job present when God founded the earth, while the morning stars sang together (38:4-7)? Who shut in the sea and told its waves how far they could come (38:8-11)? Has Job ever ordered the dawn to rise, or walked along the floor of the deep (38:12-16)?

Notice how much of God's attention goes to places no person lives. He waters wastelands where no one lives, making the dry ground sprout with grass (38:26-27). He hunts prey for the lioness and feeds the raven's young as they cry out for food (38:39-41). Jesus pointed to the ravens too: God feeds them, and his people are worth far more (Luke 12:24). The answer Job receives is not an explanation but God himself, speaking. That includes the hidden places of our own lives, where it can seem that no one sees.

To think about: What hidden part of your life do you need to remember is not beyond God's care?