Job 13

But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to reason with God. But you forgers of lies, You are all worthless physicians. Oh, that you would be silent, And it would be your wisdom!

(Job 13:3-5)

Job says here that the wisest thing his friends could do was just stop talking. They had “forged lies”… in other words they had crafted there own story about why Job was dealing with this, and they had presented that as reality. They were like doctors that couldn’t do anything to help the patient.

As Job sits surrounded by these guys, he says that what he really wants is to speak with God; he wants to argue his case before God and prove that he is innocent. I don’t think Job realizes what he is asking for. I don’t think ANY of his arguments would mean ANYTHING when he was confronted by God in all of His holiness.

I’ve often heard people say “I’m gonna ask God about this or that when I get to heaven”. Sometimes they say it with a “what is God thinking” kind of attitude, as if they know better what should be going on. When these people stand before God, I don’t think they will be saying much of anything… I think they will worship Him. When Job finally does stand before God, He doesn’t defend himself… he listens, and then he humbles himself and repents.

There is a song we sometimes sing at church; its words are an adaption of a passage in Ecclesiastes. I think it communicates some important truths about how to deal with this sort of thing. It goes,

You are God in heaven

And here am I on earth

So I’ll let my words be few

Jesus I am so in love with You

And I’ll stand in awe of You

I’ll stand in awe of You

I’ll let my words be few

Jesus I am so in love with You

When we go through difficult times, we need to remember that we are here on earth, and our perspective is limited. God however, is the God of HEAVEN AND EARTH, and He sees everything, and does everything for a reason. As a result, we should let our words be few. Whether in Job’s shoes, or the shoes of Job’s friends, it is wise to stand back and let the Lord work. Don’t try and explain it, analyze it, defend it, or deny it… trust that God knows what He is doing.