January 30th

Job 38:1-40:5

The ramblings of Elihu and Job’s three friends came to an end, and the Lord spoke to Job out of a whirlwind.

After listening to all of them rant and rave, including Job, God decided to put them in their place. All He did was ask Job a series of questions, such as, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? (38:4) Have you ever commanded the morning to appear or caused the dawn to rise in the east? (38:12) Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? (38:16) Of course, you know all this! For you were born before it was all created and you are so experienced! (38:21) Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?” (40:2).

It didn’t take long for Job to realize that, whatever happened to him, he had no right to complain to God. In the midst of this questioning, Job quickly recognized how small he really was in the big scheme of things. In fact, his reply to the Lord was, “I am nothing. How could I ever find the answers? I will put my hand over my mouth in silence” (40:4).

What I believe is described here is the answer to human pride and the beginning of humility. A definition and means to humility would be to view oneself in light of who God is, because it won’t take long, if one truly considers the greatness of God, to see himself as small in his own eyes.

Pride is our worst enemy. Self-glorification is the focus of all our activities; yet to curb that infectious sin, all we need to do is study and ponder the nature of God — His sovereignty, His creativity, His holiness, His grace and mercy, and His love. For in light of who God is, we see more clearly who we are.

Daily Reflection

If you were honest with yourself, what is your perspective of yourself? Is it accurate compared to who God is?

Why is your pride a stumbling block? Why is it so dangerous or harmful? What does it do to you that is so troublesome?

Everyone deals with pride. It is inherent in your sinful nature. Therefore, you must battle to weaken the influence of your pride and cultivate an attitude of humility. Besides studying the nature of God, what are some ways that you can weaken pride and cultivate humility in your life?

“God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time” (1 Peter 5:6 NASB).

BiAY.org |Day 30 — 335 Days to Go