Now my eye sees
A very brief reflection on reading through Job again
Job is possibly my favourite book in the Old Testament. It’s the one that I find the most perplexing, but it has been a faithful companion to me in times of waiting.
Job was with me while I waited on a visa decision in 2020.
Job was with me in the midst of a tough stretch of ministry, a time when I wasn’t even sure it was worth continuing.
And now again, Job has been my companion. God, in his providence, seems to always put Job right where I need him in my Bible reading plan. As mentioned previously, I am waiting for a final answer about the future of my ministry at our church. The elders and treasurer have figured out a salary for the next two years but it is up to the church members to actually vote on it.
Strangely, my reading plan did not have me finishing Job today but instead sitting with God’s rebuke of Job’s three friends. What has stuck in my mind, though, is this confession from Job.
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you (Job 42:5 ESV)
Why is this statement surprising? For me, today, it’s surprising because it is not on Job’s lips as he experiences the blessings of Job 1. Instead, it comes after he has lost his wealth, his children, and then had his wife tell him to curse God. This is the confession of a man on the other side of unspeakable suffering.
I keep revisiting the fact that Job never gets an answer to his question. Instead, God reveals the scale of his wisdom and the extent of his power. He shows Job the difference between the creature and the Creator.
Job responds with trust. Job remembers that he is not God and does not possess all wisdom.
Job teaches me that perfect understanding isn’t essential to trusting God.
This is what I am always brought back to in times of anxious waiting.
Then Job answered the LORD and said:
“I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. (Job 42:1-3 ESV)