“…my eyes have seen You.” Job 42:5b

Job recalled how God had said, “Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you and you shall answer Me”. (v.4; 38:3; 40:7) God’s patience had reached His mark, and the teachable moment found a repentant heart. The moment one humbles him/herself before The Lord, is the moment God reciprocates and draws close to their heart with forgiveness and restoration (read James 4:8). God is gentle and His mercies are new every morning (see Lamentations 3:22-24).

There was an admission of what Job knew about God: he had heard of God’s might, power and goodness… probably through oral tradition common in his time (v.5a). That oral tradition was nothing that was extrapolated or exaggerated, as it was considered sacred. For one to dare consider changing the oral tradition would be seen as heresy. Think of an old family recipe that has been handed down through generations. Each family member knows the recipe is true and always achieves the tasty results everyone anticipates. If one family member decided to leave out one of the ingredients, it would be considered by the clan as a departure from family tradition and value… it is a part of their family’s DNA. The same is true in oral tradition… the sacred truths of God became a part of their spiritual DNA.

Though Job was a devout, righteous man (see 1:1), he experienced God in a different way. His eyes had been opened to a new perspective of God: His sustaining power and restoring grace. He declared that though his ears had heard about God, his eyes had now seen The Almighty (v.5). We do not know what Job saw or if he was referring to seeing things differently. We do know that Job was now very much aware that he had been approaching God for his own purposes, not God’s.

In 2007, Pastor Rick Warren published a best-selling book, The Purpose Driven Life. The first sentence of the book establishes the path for the reader’s next forty days: “It’s not about you.” Job discovered that this life was not about himself. Having lost his livelihood, children, property and servants, one can only try to understand the devastation he experienced. Nevertheless, even Job learned that no man is an island unto himself… we are not our own. We are ‘owned’ by our Creator, and only He has the privilege and right to use us for His eternal purposes.

Pray with me for spiritual awakening in our day, that people’s eyes would be opened to God’s mercy and grace… that thousands upon thousands would also join the chorus of Job’s words:

MY EYES HAVE SEEN YOU

Pray that God would give you new eyes to see others through the lens of love, and to see the future through the lens of eternal hope and joy.

Have a blessed day…