The Upper Room Daily Devotional Nashville, Tennessee, United States “Our Father’s Strength" for Thursday, 26 March 2015 - Scripture: Job 42:1-6

The Upper Room Daily Devotional Nashville, Tennessee, United States “Our Father’s Strength" for Thursday, 26 March 2015 - Scripture: Job 42:1 Then [at last,] Iyov gave Adonai this answer:
2 “I know that you can do everything,
that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 “[You asked,] ‘Who is this, hiding counsel,
without having knowledge?’
Yes, I spoke, without understanding,
of wonders far beyond me, which I didn’t know.
4 “Please listen, and I will speak.
[You said,] ‘I will ask questions; and you, give me answers’ —
5 I had heard about you with my ears,
but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I detest [myself]
and repent in dust and ashes.”
Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”[Job 42:1-2 (NIV)]
From the time I was five, wrestling with my dad was our ritual. He’d pin me; sometimes he let me win. As I grew, the struggles got more intense. When I was 13 I beat him, and I could tell that he had used all of his strength. I was elated — for about 30 seconds. As Dad walked quietly away, a feeling of sadness washed over me. I’m stronger than my dad. That’s not supposed to happen. If Dad’s not stronger than me, how can he be my authority and my protector?
Since the Garden of Eden, we’ve yearned to be smarter than God. In his desperation, Job came to that point. (See Job 10.) Job didn’t want to be greater than God, any more than I wanted to actually pin my dad. If I was stronger than Dad, then it seemed to me that my 13-year-old’s strength was all I had to rely on.Job wanted God to be his ultimate resource with the assurance that he was a child of God. “Before, you were only a theory to me,” Job was saying. “Now, I know that you are my ultimate reality.”
How reassuring it is to discover that our salvation does not lie in our own cleverness and strength! God’s power is a loving power in which we, like Job, become free to experience a peace and comfort that only God can give.
The Author: George A. Nye (Oregon, USA)
Thought for the Day: When we acknowledge God’s power, we can experience peace.
Prayer: O God, help us to remember that our achievements matter only when your power resides in us. Amen.
Prayer focus: Fathers And Sons

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