Then Job replied to the LORD : "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
After the horrific sorrow and grief visited upon Job, after Job's questionion of God's wisdom and plan, after getting "schooled" by the Master, Job comes to this conclusion. Our God can do all things and no plan of His can be thwarted. Job realized his knowledge is limited and in relying upon his own knowledge, he obscured the counsel of God. Job confessed that in reality (life from God's point of view) he did not understand God's plan which is so wonderful, he cannot even comprehend it. Before the tragedies that befell Job, his ears had heard of God, but now, after walkin in sorrow and grief, Job declares my eyes have seen God.
Do not miss this truth. Until we are in a position to need God's mercy and grace in supernatrual proportions, our knowledge of God is less than what it will be, akin to hearing rather than seeing. It could be like listening to a person speak from another room. We hear the words, but how different that a conversation face-to-face, looking straight into another's eyes. As the recipients of of the kind of mercy and grace that occurs only at the end of our rope grasped in sweatty hands can we say that God is no longer someone we've heard, but is now someone we see.
In the past 48 hours I have dangled helplessly at the end of my rope. At times, it seemed as though the rope had slipped from my grasp and I was falling without hope into the abyss of my grief. These were the times when I could only cry out the word "no!" or the phrase "Jesus help me!" My ears had heard of God and I knew He was there. I knew He would eventually comformt me. But, when the Mercy and Grace of God began to flow and rescue me from each successive cycle of abysmal grief, I saw God. My eyes looked directly into those of my Savior.
Pray for my family - continue to pray. The road ahead has many, many valleys, ruts, detours, and crossroads. But at the same time, it has turnabouts where we gaze out over the vista of grace and mercy and see God. It has hilltops from which we can see far ahead.
Grieve with us at the present loss of our daughter, Leah, but rejoice with us because we see God.
