How we understand God is very important. From that viewpoint comes a matter of sincere faith or lack thereof. When we try to believe in God for a specific prayer, the results could vary. Without realizing it, a person can see him as the grandfather in the sky handing out prayer cookies. A common phrase some people use about him is that he is the big guy. Sometimes an individual thinks of God as a supervisor of a divine warehouse. It could be that someone sees God who has broad shoulders to cry on.
Some of those things may be true under certain circumstances. However, let us look at God according to our text. If anybody in history needed a prayer to be answered, it was Job. He lost everything including the confidence and support from his wife. All of his children were killed. Every sign of wealth was erased. His health was so reduced that a cure would seem hopeless. In his state of misery, three so-called friends visited him in what they thought was comfort. All they had to offer was criticism and verbal attacks in which his horrible condition was his own fault.
Our text is God’s reply to Job’s questioning. The Almighty offered a long list of accomplishments that no other could perform. With those examples, God declared his abilities. In other words, God is stronger, more powerful, more inventive, and more able to do anything. This is what we must keep in mind. When we pray, we are not issuing wishes to the one who gives out answers. We serve the only God that there is. Be encouraged that the God we pray to is so wonderful and capable that we can rely on him.
Our God is so magnificent that we need not hesitate about how majestic he is. When you pray, elevate your faith to the level that you are talking to the one who answered Job in our text. Let us obey God when he said, “Gird up thy loins.” Keep in mind some of the things God said to Job. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who was it that designated the shorelines of the sea? Have you seen the gates of death open for you or the doors of the shadow of death? Do you understand the treasures of snow or the treasures of hail?
Are you able to provide food for wild animals? Do you oversee the birth of each creature? Are you able to give the various colors of the beautiful birds? Do you understand why the ostrich abandons her eggs? Can you provide strong muscles for the horse? When was it you taught the eagle to fly up high? These are just a few examples extracted from our text. I encourage you to read God’s declarations. When you do, let your faith mushroom and explode into the new definition of belief. When in trouble or in need, remember that whatever is on your mind or heart, God is always stronger.
