I Don't Know...Surprise Me!

Job 40:6-9, 42:1-3

 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:

‘Gird up your loins like a man;

   I will question you, and you declare to me.

Will you even put me in the wrong?

   Will you condemn me that you may be justified?

Have you an arm like God,

   and can you thunder with a voice like his? …

Then Job answered the Lord:

‘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.

REFLECTION:

Some of the smartest people I know have also been the first ones to admit they don't know very much. It seems there is a deep and profound truth to be found in genuine humility. Instead of pretending to have the world by the tail, these people admit that every day brings its own lessons, and that the learning won't stop until the day they take their final breath. I have experienced these people to be very peaceful and joy-filled, because rather than thinking they know what to expect, they greet each day with hope and anticipation at what it might teach them. They are ready to be surprised by life.

In the book that bears his name, Job stumbles on to a similar deep truth about God. "I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me…" It seems that no matter how much time we spend reading the Bible, we must always be ready to be surprised by a God who is too wonderful for us to fully explain or understand. So, may we all (myself included) have a healthy dose of humility, and greet this new day with hope and anticipation; maybe God will move through you in unexpected ways today!

PRAYER:
God of surprising grace, open my eyes to your presence in the world today, that I may be taught a little more about who you are and who I am because of you. Amen.