Sunday Scribblings - Extreme

The span of his life holds the extremes of life experiences. Extreme devotion. Extreme loss. Extreme temptation. Extreme blessing. And an encounter with an extreme God.

This riches to rags to riches roller coaster of the man Job’s fortunes is merely a toddler’s playground ride compared to his experience of hearing from the living God. His life took him on a plunge from the pinnacle of success to the depths of suffering, and yet it is what he hears from God that ultimately makes him speechless with amazement. Even the extremes of human joy, suffering and confusion fade into the shadows when God enters the room.

We have an extreme God. He designed the blueprints for this earth. He holds back the waters from the land with his great power. He wakes up the sun every morning. He is friends with both the light and the darkness and leads them across the surface of the earth at their appointed times. He knows his way through every dark and narrow cave on the ocean floor. He stockpiles the snow, and hail, and lightning in the heavens, and knows the mysteries of when and where they will fall. When the rain falls in the lonely desert places, God sees it, and even though no human eye may ever see their beauty, He makes the wildflowers grow there all the same. He knows each constellation in the night sky by name: He has known them since they were just young stars, just starting to shine so many thousands of years ago.

Even with all of these great matters on his mind, He finds time to teach all of the mothers of the animal kingdom how to provide food to their little ones: He shows the lionesses how to hunt, he helps the ravens to find their food. He is there watching as each one brings forth its young. He gives each one what it needs, to do what it needs to do. Using the strength He has provided, the donkeys run wild through the desert, the ostriches race carelessly through the dust and the eagles soar on the heights of the winds.

Even while holding the whole world in his hands, He sees the extremes of our lives: our laughter in times of joy or great anguish in times of suffering do not fail to capture His attention. We can know that he holds our lives in His hands, even though we cannot hold Him in our minds. His purposes and plans and reasons, as well as His great love for us, are all ultimately unfathomable.

Inspired by the book of Job