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Job 19: 21-27:
Job said:
Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has struck me!
Why do you hound me as though you were divine,
and insatiably prey upon me?
Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead
they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him,
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my inmost being is consumed with longing.
The Word of the Lord.
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Voyager 1 is a satellite launched into space by NASA in 1977. It has been exploring our solar system ever since, traveling further than any other spacecraft in history.
In 1990, Voyager 1 snapped a photo of planet earth from nearly four billion miles away. Our magnificent home appeared as a blue dot against a backdrop of dark, empty space, putting the scale of planet earth – and perhaps our own lives – into a much bigger context.
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For the last four days, we’ve been reading through the Book of Job.
It began with a dialogue between God and Satan. God praised Job for his faithfulness, but Satan pushed back, saying that Job’s faith was a function of his security. If everything were taken from him, then Job’s faith in God would wither.
Mysteriously, God allows Job to be tested as Satan takes nearly everything from him.
At first, Job clung deeply to his faith, saying, “The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” But as the shock settled in, Job began questioning – even cursing – the day of his birth.
So, God takes Job on a cosmic tour, showing him the depths of the universe – much as Voyager 1 has done for us. After seeing a much bigger picture, the Lord rebukes Job, asking, “Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me if you have understanding.”
While God will not answer Job’s questions about Job’s own suffering – why things must be – he situates Job’s life into the much larger context of God’s governance of the cosmos.
Finally, Job accepts what we all must: there are some things which evade human understanding; mysteries like suffering, which we cannot comprehend. As he says humbly to God, “I am of little account; what can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth.”
Meaning, Job will question God no more; he’s come to accept God on God’s terms.
That is what faith allows us to do: to see our lives in the context of a much larger picture; to surrender to Providence; to cling to God even in the smallest trials.
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Just as Voyager 1 helps moderns minds to see planet earth in the context of a much larger picture – a blue dot barely visible against the expansiveness of the universe – so the Book of Job reminds us that we part of a much bigger reality.
And yet, the Lord reminds us, “I will never forget you. I have engraved you upon the palm of my hand” (Isaiah 49:15-16).
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Image credits: (1) Seeing Earth from Space Will Change You, The Atlantic (2) What is the Pale Blue Dot?, NASA.gov (3) When Mercy Found Me