How God Answers

Lord, I beg you to speak to me and reveal to me your purpose of my life.

  

I ask you to place me in a position of your choosing

Please fill me with faith, wisdom, and understanding.

Please fill me, my wife, my son, my family, my friends, and my Church with your Holy Spirit.

Lord, I beg you to speak to me through your Word today.

  

Give me my verse for today.    

Job 33 (NIRV)

33 “Job, listen now to my words.
    Pay attention to everything I say.

Lord, I will listen to your words, and carefully pay attention. 

Lord, I will watch what it cost me to disobey you, and rejoice in the rewards of obedience. 

2 I’m about to open my mouth.
    My words are on the tip of my tongue.

3 What I say comes from an honest heart.
    My lips speak only what I know is true.

Lord, if you don't give me my word for today, I will keep silent in your presence.  

Lord, I will carefully guard my words before they leave my mouth to only speak what is helpful and true.   

4 The Spirit of God has made me.
    The breath of the Mighty One gives me life.

Dear God, I am your offspring.  Who or what can stand against me?  

God you are for me even when everyone else and my circumstances are against me.  

I rest in your divine power.  

5 (Elihu still speaking) So answer me (Job) if you can.

    Stand up and argue your case in front of me.

6  To God I’m just the same as you.
    I too am a piece of clay.

7 You don’t have to be afraid of me.
    My hand won’t be too heavy on you.

8 “But I heard what you said.

    And here are the exact words I heard.
9 

You (Job) said, ‘I’m pure. 

I have done no wrong.

Only God is pure, and does no wrong.  No one else is righteous but you.   

Lord, I've been impure, and have done wrong.  Make me like you.   

    

(Job had said)I’m clean. 

Lord, I am cleaned by the blood of Jesus.  

(Job had said)I’m free from sin.

Thank you Jesus, I'm free from sin and the penalty of it. 
10 

(Job had said) But God has found fault with me.

    He thinks I’m his enemy.

Lord, you were never Job's enemy nor are you mine.  You are not my fault finder.   

11 (Job had said)He puts my feet in chains.

    He watches every step I take.’

Lord, you watch every step that I take, but you watch me to free me from my chains of sin.

    

12 (Elihu responds) “But I’m telling you that you aren’t right when you talk like that.

To talk ill of God is stupid.  

    After all, God is greater than any human being.

13 (Elihu speaking) Why do you claim that God
    never answers anybody’s questions?

Really Job?  God never answers anyone's questions.  

14 (Elihu speaking) He speaks in one way and then another.

Elihu is saying that God speaks in different ways. The problem is with us for not recognizing it.

(Elihu speaking) But we do not even realize it.

How does God speak to us?

15 (1) He might speak in a dream or in a vision at night.

    That’s when people are sound asleep in their beds.

16 (2) He might speak in their ears.
    His warnings might terrify them.

Why does God speak to us?

17 (I) He warns them in order to turn them away from sinning.
    

(II)He wants to keep them from being proud.

18 (III)He wants to stop them from going down into the grave.

What are the types of punishment that God is trying to prevent? 

(1) He doesn’t want them to be killed by swords.

19 (2) Someone might be punished by suffering in bed.

(a) The pain in their bones might never go away.

20 (b) They might feel so bad they can’t eat anything.

(c) They might even hate the finest food.
21 

(d) Their body might waste away to nothing.
    

(e)Their bones might have been hidden.
    But now they stick out.
22 

They might approach the very edge of the grave.
    The messengers of death might come for them.

(How God speaks to us continued.)

23 (3) But suppose there is an angel who will speak up for him. 

    The angel is very special. He’s one out of a thousand.

(a) He will tell that person how to do what is right.

24 (b)That angel will be gracious to them.

 He’ll say to God,
    ‘Spare them from going down into the grave.

    I know a way that can set them free.’
25 Then their body is made like new again.

    They become as strong and healthy as when they were young.

26 Then that person can pray to God and be blessed by him.

    They will see God’s face and shout for joy.

What is the outcome of hearing from God?

(1) God will make them well and happy again.
27 

(2) Then that person will come to others and say,
    ‘I sinned. 

How God under punishes us.

(Elihu speaking for a repentant sinner) 

I made what is wrong appear to be right.

    (1) But I wasn’t punished as I should have been.

28 (2) God has set me free. 

(3) He has kept me from going down into the darkness of the grave.

    (4) So I’ll live to enjoy the light of life.’

“God does all these things to people.

    In fact, he does them again and again.

What is God's purpose in my suffering?

30 (1) He wants to stop people from going down into the darkness of the grave.

    Then the light of life will shine on them.

“Pay attention, Job! Listen to me!

Lord, help me to pay attention, and I'll watch for your answers to my prayers.  Open up my ears as I close my mouth. 

  

    Be quiet so I can speak.

Maybe the reason that God doesn't answer my prayer is that when I ask for understanding, I don't wait in silence believing Him to answer. 

32 (Elihu)If you have anything to say, answer me.

    Speak up. 

I want to help you be cleared of all charges.

33 But if you don’t have anything to say, listen to me.

    Be quiet so I can teach you how to be wise.”

In fact, God has heard Job's prayers, and He had sent His messenger, a man named Elihu, with the answers. 

M. H. Dennis in black.  

Elihu in blue.