Job 40:1-42:17, 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, Psalms 45:1-17, Proverbs 22:14
Today is September 1st welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is a great to be here with you. We made it. We made it across the threshold, and we are in the ninth month of the year, the 245th day of this year. So, on top of everything else that’s been going on this year, also this was a leap year. So we’ve got 366 days this year and here we are, threshold of a new month, it’s all out in front of us and we get to choose the story we are gonna tell, and allowing God’s word to inform those decisions certainly can’t do bad. It’s only gonna help us and help us considerably as we make it and continue to keep it as the rhythm of our lives. And, so, let’s dive, in brand-new month. We’re finishing the book of Job today. In yesterday’s reading, God showed up which is all Job wanted, but it seemed like it might be different than what he was expecting because He had a bunch of questions, God did, a bunch of questions of His own that no one could answer. And, so, we will continue with that discussion as we conclude the book of Job. We’re reading from the New International Version this week. Job 40, 41, 42.
Commentary:
Okay. So, as we begin this new month, we concluded the book of Job which we’ve been working through for a while. And in the book of Job we heard a lot of things about God. Like we were able to kind of sit in on a discussion between Job and…and three of his friends and then Elihu at the end, so four people…so five people very, very clearly and passionately telling each other what they know about God and what…and His movements and what He does and what He doesn’t do and how He does do it and how He doesn’t do it and how things are. And Job argues back, but he also argues back with what He knows. So, he argues back with the things He would say to God if he could find Him. And, so, we get to hear Job’s arguments and then Job gets what he wants. God shows up with His own questions in His own mighty power. And the irony is that all the bluster of all the people who were talking kind of went out of them. And all of the things that Job had prepared, like his existential argument, basically, that he’s gonna present to the Lord and ask for answers, it just all seems to deflate. All these words about God dissipated in God’s presence. So, what Job thought he needed to say to God, became unnecessary when he was in God’s presence. And, so, what are…what…what can we take away here from this story about suffering? Because we find ourselves in the position of Job a lot. Certainly, we don’t face the destruction that Job faced but we face things that are so difficult that they get us…they get us confused and we want answers and we want understanding and we start demanding and we start accusing and we have to remember who the accuser was in this story. The accuser was Satan. And then we basically read all of these arguments and saw all kinds of accusations being spit out of humanity toward God. And then God shows up and nobody has anything to say because all of the sudden one realizes I don’t know what I’m talking about. I don’t know what I’m saying. What Job says is, “I…basically I had only heard about you before, but now I’m here in Your presence and I…I like clamp my hands over my mouth. I repent. I’ve said too much. I didn’t know what I was talking about. Your ways are too wonderful for me to comprehend.” Maybe we can take that clue because we find ourselves in judgment of God and with accusation in our heart when He doesn’t do what we want him to do. Maybe what we need isn't…isn’t to stand in the position of the accuser against God. Maybe what we need is to find ourselves in God’s presence. Maybe we can learn to be silent. Maybe we can put our hands over our mouths and stop spouting off things that we do not know and do not understand, and we never will maybe. Because isn’t the ultimate question here, “do you want God? Do you want God’s presence? Or do you just want to run around talking about God to each other? And if you want to run around talking to each other about God then that’s not the same as the presence of God.” And in the presence of God you realize your understanding will fail you. He is beyond what you can comprehend. And as I say that to you, I’m saying that to myself. I often confess, I’m a thinker. I live in my mind. I try to figure this out. I read the story of Job and I’m like, “I get it. I want understanding. I need to know how things work” only to realize through stories like Job there are things that are too wonderful for me to understand. I don’t like that. But I am not the most-high God and I can never put myself in that position because if I do all I’m being is an accuser and I don’t know what I’m talking about. For all that I do know, including reading the Bible every day for 15 years, for all that I do know I don’t know that I have even scratched the surface of all there is to our glorious all powerful almighty God. And, so, may we leave this book that has allowed us to kind of go deep, go down there, go into some of the pain, some of the story, some of the stuff of our lives, which is what it’s there for. What…this territory that we’re being led into into the Bible, this is where we’re supposed to go, this is where the Bible is leading us, this is what’s supposed to happen. We’re supposed to wrestle with this, but maybe fundamentally what we’re learning here is that in spite of anything that may happen the only safe place to be is in the presence of God. And to set ourselves up as the judge of God is utter folly, profoundly foolish. We don’t know what we’re talking about.
Prayer:
Father we enter into that. We realize that what we’re staring at is the end of ourselves, the end of our ability, the end of us to declare ourselves sovereign, to declare ourselves our own God. There are things we don’t know. There are more things that we don’t know then things that we do know. We do not know all that we think that we know, not even a fraction. You know all things. You are all powerful. You have designed it all, including our hearts. And, so we come to the end of ourselves and reach for You Papa, Abba, Father. It’s Your presence we need. When we find union with You, we find wholeness we find what’s missing, we find what we don’t know. And, so, we surrender ourselves to You, invite Your Holy Spirit to come and lead us into this month with all humility, seeking nothing more than Your face, seeking nothing more than to be in Your presence, and to see the adventure that You are offering us, where we can lean back and relax in Your care. You know it all. As long as we are with You there is no other place to be. So, come Holy Spirit and lead us we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Announcements:
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hello, my wonderful DAB family today is Friday, August 28th this is Rosie and Oklahoma calling and with a praise report. I asked all of you to pray for my oldest daughter Melissa because she had gone back to her ex-husband and I was concerned about it because he had several addictions going on at the same time and I was concerned that if things didn’t work out between him and her that she would just get that much further away from God. But I asked you guys to pray for her and he had just caused her to…to sink deeper into the pit and she finally told him to leave and instead of sinking deeper after he left, she pursued God more. And she looks like the same daughter but she’s not acting the same because she’s totally sold out to the Lord now and I just wanted to thank you all for praying for her. I really appreciate it. So, if any of you out there have never called in and you have a prayer request, if you want your prayers answered, this is the way to do it. Call in because we will all pray for you. And I just wanted to let…let you guys know how much I appreciate you and how much I love you and how much you mean to me. And I just wanted to let you know that. And I love you. Talk to you later. Bye.
Hi family this is Biola from Maryland I hope you’re all doing well. Brian and Jill God bless you God bless your ministry. Sister from South Dakota, I heard your prayer request and I’m praying for you. I’m a bit behind so I’m praying on the day you called. I know you would’ve done your birthday by now. Happy birthday and I am so sorry about the loss of your mom. You know the word of God says that blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. And the Bible says that the Lord is close to those who are broken hearted. So, I pray in the name of Jesus that you will be comforted by the Lord and the Holy Spirit will wrap His arms around you and your family in the name of Jesus. Prodigal, I heard your prayer requests and I am praying for you brother. I want to believe that it was because you were in such despair that you said with your mouth that Jake was probably going to die. Brother the Bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue and that __ and if you’re a child of God don’t confess that with your mouth. We know the reality, yes, okay he’s been taking cocaine but don’t confess that he’s going to die. And I pray over Jake. I pray the word of the promise of the Lord in Isaiah 49 verses 24 and 25 that says that shall the prayer be taken from the mighty or the captives of the righteous be delivered but thus says the Lord even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the prayer of the terrible be delivered. For I will contend with him who contends with you and I will save your children. And I am standing on that for you and Jake in the name of Jesus we contend with that cocaine, we break the power of that addiction in his life in the name of Jesus and I pray right now that he will be set free completely in the name of Jesus. Sister who called in about Amber I’m praying for you that you will find a solution to this issue in Jesus’ name.
Tossed and Turning I want to pray to you. This is Kira from Denver. Hey DABbers. And Tossed and Turning I just heard your call about your adult sons living at home in their 30s and your 52-year-old son in a wheelchair and does a lot of drugs and expects you to take care of him and your husband who’s in his 80s and I am praying for you. I just want to lift you up to the Lord and have Him hold you and comfort you and just I’m just praying for you. I so admire your compassion. I kicked my son out when he was only 22 and I was messed up though, you know, and so was he and things are changed now and I’m just praying and hoping. And…yeah…I just I just want to lift you up Tossing and Turning. Thank you so much for calling. I love all you guys. Come Holy Spirit.
This is Suzanne calling from Albuquerque. I’m calling to lift Daniel Johnson Junior up in prayer. Bear with me I am a very, very private prayer person. I’m not used to praying in front of anyone, not even one person. I feel extremely clumsy and awkward but here goes. Father we come together to lift up Daniel Johnson Junior and to encourage him and we ask for Your love and comfort and guidance as he seeks gainful employment. We know that he is struggling very hard and he’s trying to keep faith strong in You and he’s also trying very hard to not succumb to his fears and anxiety about what tomorrow may bring. We know that You are comforting him, guiding him, and encouraging him as You are so many of us who are struggling for finances. So, Father we just pray for him and please give him courage. We hope that perhaps through this pandemic one of the…one of the blessings that we all may find is that our hearts are open and expanding in love towards one another. Amen.
Hello Daily Audio Bible my name is Matthew from the United Kingdom today is the 29th of August 2020. Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, in the name of Jesus I come to You. You are God of hope, God of comfort, and God of grace. I come before You on behalf of the Daily Audio Bible. Our Father and our God I lift up the Daily Audio Bible family to You, particularly I lift up Brian and his family and his ministry before You. Lord God we thank You for Your Spirit in him that guides him through as he brings the word of to us in different versions. Father I will pray that Lord You will continue to guide him, and Your Spirit in Christ Jesus the Holy Spirit of God will continue to lead and even in his interpretations. Father I lift up all the prayer warriors before You. Almighty and everlasting God just as they intercede for the community Lord Almighty intercede for them. Lord Jesus undertake for them. You know their heart desire, You know their needs O God. Father I will pray Lord that as they remember others in Your love and Your mercy and Your grace You will remember them. Thank You our Father and our God because You are faithful. You know our heart desires and You promise to meet all our needs according to the riches and glory of Your son Jesus. We pray all of these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hey everybody this is Angie from Winchester Virginia. Just wanted to let Barbara from Alberta Canada know that I’m praying for you. When I heard your prayer request the other day it really hit home with me. I have a son that is suffering from bipolar disorder and I’m just going to ask you guys to pray for him. He has been pacing the floors for the last seven days and just pacing hours on and 14, 15 hrs. at a time and talking to himself. And there’s really nothing I can do. He’s not suicidal, he’s not homicidal. So, I cannot put him under an emergency court order and it’s just breaking my heart. So, I’m just asking you guys to please pray for him and just asks that God put His protection around him and just lift him up in prayer please. And also pray for me. I’m a nurse and I am sitting in the parking lot at work right now and I don’t want to go in tonight because of Covid. We’re getting her second wave right now and I don’t want to do this a second time. It’s just so draining and we’re just seeing so much, and I just ask that you would lift me up in prayer too because I feel like I’m about ready to break. Anyway, Brian thank you for this platform. We love you giving us a platform to where we can get our daily bread from God is just amazing and thank you so much and I love you guys. I hope you have a blessed day.