Stand Still and Consider

(Job 37:14-16 KJV) Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.  Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine?  Dost thou know the balancing’s of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge? 

Of all the scriptures in the Bible, to me this is the most breath taking one of all. Each time I read it I feel insignificant, small and almost unseen. On the other hand I feel blessed and favored because the God who made these things is the God I call my Father.

I particularly enjoy our text when I read (what I call), the “follow up” verses found in Psalms 8:4-6 where is says, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?  For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:”

I am aware that this verse is referring to Jesus, but it is also referring to me because I am in Jesus and Jesus is in me. That means where Jesus is I am also there with Him, because He paid the price on the cross in order to give me that privilege.

Verses like these are so indescribable and yet we love to dream about them because they give our minds and imaginations a real workout. There does not seem to be any limitation to our imaginations except in cases likes these...and then we seem to have a mind burn-out.

I got an email from a good friend the other day and she was trying to describe her day to me. She said, “I had a most serendipitous (providential, God-given, divine, fortuitous) day.”  I am not exactly sure what all of that meant, but it sounds like she had a great day. Perhaps the way my friend was trying to described her day is something like trying to describe our text…you need to use a lot of big words to get it right.

I suppose there is nothing quite as active as a country boy’s imagination. I remember as a kid growing up in East Texas, how I used to like to lay in my bed at night with my window raised and look up at the stars and imagine being there. Words could not describe what I was imagining, but on the other hand they did not need to because the pictures in my mind said it all…I think.

However, my vivid imagination is no match for the reality of the above verses. I love what it says in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Perhaps one of the reasons God wanted Job to consider what He had created was because Job was so used to being blessed that he forgot how to dream. Dreaming is one of the platforms for hope when one is going through the tests of life. Job apparently was so focused on living right in this world that he forgot how to dream of his future with God.

All through the Bible we see that dreaming is an “antidote” for present day pressures. That means one should never give up on their dreaming because it is the chariot that is sent from God to carry us away from the pain of the present.

Father,

Even though my mind cannot get around all that You have prepared for us…I live in the excitement of it. Thank you Father for reminding us through the story of Job to “stand still and consider” (dream), about what You have done and what You have prepared for us. Father, today I choose to practice “standing still and considering” as You have said.

Amen