by Charles R. Swindoll
Scriptures: Job 42:1–6
Job’s Confession
42 Then Job answered the Lord and said,
2 “I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
4 ‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’
5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
6 Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.”
That’s what makes the climax of Job’s life so satisfying. This dear man, who never deserved the suffering he endured, is dealt with justly. And those who made his life so miserable weren’t overlooked either. The God of justice finally steps up, bringing great rewards and restoration to the righteous, and strong discipline on the unrighteous.
Job finally realized that God’s plan is profound, that His reasoning is right, and that His ways are higher than he could ever understand. With that, Job waves the white flag of surrender and says in complete sincerity, “I retract and I repent. I’ve said things I shouldn’t have been saying, I talked about things I knew nothing about, I became self-righteous in my own defense. Lord, please know that my heart is Yours. I humble myself before You. I place myself at Your disposal. Your purpose is right; Your plan is incredible; Your reproofs are reliable; Your way is best.”
That did it. When the Lord heard the deepest feelings of Job’s contrite heart, when the Lord witnessed the humility of his broken spirit and the openness and teachability of Job’s soul, mercy kicked in, and justice rolled down. There is even poetic justice as the Lord decides to use Job in the process of bringing the other men to justice. This is a good place to insert an insight worth remembering.
You will be amazed at how the Lord will use you in others’ lives once you adjust your life to His ways. You will be many things for them: a reproof, a refuge, a point of hope, a reason to go on, a source of strength, a calming influence, and so much more. It’s wonderful to realize (to your surprise) how He chooses to use you as a vehicle to help restore those who’ve strayed so far. This often includes those who hurt you in their straying.
I’m reminded of the distraught father in Les Misérables whose only plea comes in a powerful song about his son as he cries, “Bring him home!” Our Father, too, pleads with us to help guide His straying children back home to Him: “Bring them home!”
It’s amazing how God uses us in others’ lives once we adjust our life to His ways.
— Charles R. Swindoll