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God Answers Job in a Whirlwind - The Book of Job · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. So the Lord blessed the latter end
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  Speaker 1: of Job more than his beginning. For he had fourteen
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  Speaker 1: thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke
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  Speaker 1: of oxen, and a thousand she-asses. Job 42.12 Heavenly Father,
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  Speaker 1: as you appeared to Job and spoke to him as
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  Speaker 1: a father to a child, I thank you that you
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  Speaker 1: desire to speak to me in the same manner when
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  Speaker 1: I lose sight of your glory in perfect ways. I
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  Speaker 1: now know that my lack of understanding doesn't take away
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  Speaker 1: your sovereignty, but instead it causes me to lean into
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  Speaker 1: your presence more so I can receive the answers my
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  Speaker 1: heart longs for. I confess that, even though I am
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  Speaker 1: in pain, I will not give myself permission to doubt
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  Speaker 1: your plans for my life. You are the God of
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  Speaker 1: the universe, the creator of all things, the one who
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  Speaker 1: puts air in my lungs. Therefore, I will acknowledge you
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  Speaker 1: and acknowledge that all your ways are perfect and flawless.
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  Speaker 1: Through the evidence of my past victories, and through the
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  Speaker 1: life of Job, I know that if you allow something
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  Speaker 1: to exit my life, it's only because you are making
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  Speaker 1: room for more. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 1: praying with me today. Continue listening for an incredible Bible
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  Speaker 1: story brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: God Answers Job in a Whirlwind In our last story,
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  Speaker 2: we learned of Job's great sorrow. Boils covered his skin,
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  Speaker 2: and misery followed him every step. His wife told him
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  Speaker 2: to curse God and die, while his friends offered vain
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  Speaker 2: philosophical explanations as to why Job must be suffering. However,
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  Speaker 2: Job maintains his integrity and trusts in God, despite the
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  Speaker 2: upheaval of his life. In this story, Job begins to
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  Speaker 2: ask God about his faithfulness, and sorrow leads him to
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  Speaker 2: subtle doubt. God meets Job in a whirlwind and questions
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  Speaker 2: him beyond his human comprehension, as inspired by the book
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  Speaker 2: of Job.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. In our last time together, we
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  Speaker 3: heard how God allowed Satan to attack Job's physical health.
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  Speaker 3: Job was diseased with painful boils and sores that covered
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  Speaker 3: his entire body. Yet even in this excruciating pain, and
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  Speaker 3: despite the urging of his own wife to curse God
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  Speaker 3: and die, Job remained steadfast in his trust of God.
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  Speaker 3: When his friends showed up and sat with him, helpfully
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  Speaker 3: at first, just to sit with him in silence and
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  Speaker 3: in his suffering, we discover that Job trusted God and
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  Speaker 3: said nothing. But Then those friends began to say that
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  Speaker 3: Job had hidden his own sins, that he was being
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  Speaker 3: judged and punished by God. Job dismissed their claims because
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  Speaker 3: he knew it wasn't true. He knew that he was
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  Speaker 3: good before God, righteous before God. But even though he
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  Speaker 3: was perplexed and didn't understand why all of this had
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  Speaker 3: happened and wanted answers, he trusted in God. And so
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  Speaker 3: he took his problems straight to the Lord. He took
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  Speaker 3: his questions to God himself. And today we'll hear that exchange,
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  Speaker 3: what Job says and how God answers him through a mighty,
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  Speaker 3: powerful storm. Let's listen to today's reading to find out
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  Speaker 3: what God has to say and what it leads Job
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  Speaker 3: to conclude.
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  Speaker 2: Job was through defending his honor to his friends. They
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  Speaker 2: assumed that some sort of wickedness had brought this sorrow
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  Speaker 2: upon him. Yet Job could not fathom why God would
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  Speaker 2: cause such terrible things to happen to him all at once.
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  Speaker 2: Was he not righteous? Was he not worthy of blessing?
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  Speaker 2: He trusted God, yet did not understand him. The ringing
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  Speaker 2: of Job's friends' bickering reached the ears of the Lord,
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  Speaker 2: as did the questions of Job. They traveled to his
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  Speaker 2: presence like a stench. He would endure no more vain
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  Speaker 2: questioning of his goodness or sovereignty. In an instant, Job
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  Speaker 2: was surrounded by a whirlwind. The tempest surrounded him in
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  Speaker 2: every direction, causing Job to cower where he stood. Lightning
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  Speaker 2: seemed to be striking in every direction, and Job heard
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  Speaker 2: a booming voice descending upon him with great force. Who
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  Speaker 2: is it that darkens my counsel without knowledge? Job looked
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  Speaker 2: around him, realizing that the voice was coming from God.
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  Speaker 2: The voice roared through the wind, saying, Prepare yourself like
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  Speaker 2: a man, for now it is I who will be
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  Speaker 2: asking the questions. Job had wanted to hear from God,
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  Speaker 2: yet now he began to regret ever asking. God spoke
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  Speaker 2: to Job in poetry, so fierce that Job feared his
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  Speaker 2: life may end. As the winds howled around him, the
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  Speaker 2: Lord spoke. Where were you when I established the earth's foundation?
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  Speaker 2: If you know, please tell me. Who determines the world's
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  Speaker 2: measurements and lays its cornerstone? Who is it that sung
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  Speaker 2: the morning stars into existence or draped the clouds over
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  Speaker 2: the seas like a garment? Was it you who commanded
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  Speaker 2: the sun to rise and the dawn to know its place?
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  Speaker 2: Have you entered into the depths of the oceans or
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  Speaker 2: explored the recesses of the deep? Have you gazed upon
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  Speaker 2: the gates of death and the depths of darkness?' Do
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  Speaker 2: you know the expanse of the universe and where the
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  Speaker 2: light emanates?' Can you direct the stars and tighten the
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  Speaker 2: straps of Orion's belt?' Please tell me if you have
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  Speaker 2: known these things,' for of course you know.' You were
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  Speaker 2: born then, were you not?'' Job was trembling as he
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  Speaker 2: listened to the voice of God.' He said nothing, but
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  Speaker 2: God continued his torrent of questions.' Is it you who
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  Speaker 2: understands the hawk's flight patterns and allows the wind to
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  Speaker 2: carry it? Are you the one who commands the eagles
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  Speaker 2: to mount up and make their nests on high? Who
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  Speaker 2: is it that contends with the Almighty? He who argues
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  Speaker 2: with God should answer. Job was shaking in his place.
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  Speaker 2: God was silent as he gained his composure. He stuttered,
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  Speaker 2: doing his best to create coherent sentences. How shall I
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  Speaker 2: even answer you? Job said. His knees were caving in
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  Speaker 2: on him. The sores on his feet were agonizingly painful.
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  Speaker 2: I cannot answer you, O God, Job said with his
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  Speaker 2: hands on his face. God's thundering voice arose again, saying,
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  Speaker 2: Will you prove me wrong? Will you condemn me and
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  Speaker 2: make yourself right? Do you speak in thunder as I,
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  Speaker 2: or is your arm as strong as mine? Adorn yourself
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  Speaker 2: with dignity, be draped in absolute glory and splendor. Take
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  Speaker 2: dominion and control over the earth you see, and maybe
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  Speaker 2: then I will acknowledge you. God had made his point
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  Speaker 2: to Job. He spoke of mighty beasts that were immense
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  Speaker 2: in power and glory, yet still in control by God.
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  Speaker 2: He spoke of the expanse of space and time, light
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  Speaker 2: and darkness, all to reveal to Job his vastness. In
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  Speaker 2: all God's questioning, there was an undertone of love. God
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  Speaker 2: wanted to bring Job outside of his circumstances. He wanted
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  Speaker 2: him to see that the universe operates on God's will
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  Speaker 2: and does not bend to Job's comforts. Job once again
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  Speaker 2: bowed before the Lord and said, I know that all
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  Speaker 2: things are possible for you. Your will cannot be denied.
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  Speaker 2: You have uttered what I could not possibly understand. I
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  Speaker 2: repent before you, Lord. After Job repented, God turned to
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  Speaker 2: his friends. My anger has been ignited against you, God said.
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  Speaker 2: You have spoken ignorantly of my ways and have not
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  Speaker 2: considered me as Job has. So the Lord had them repent,
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  Speaker 2: and Job made offerings for them. God kindly restored Job
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  Speaker 2: to greater health. Job's brothers and sisters came alongside him,
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  Speaker 2: and together they laughed and prayed with one another. Unlike
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  Speaker 2: Job's friends, they understood that comfort came not in vain
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  Speaker 2: philosophy or discourse. Rather, it came from friendship and true
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  Speaker 2: acknowledgement of God's goodness. Slowly, Job accumulated greater wealth and
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  Speaker 2: was reconciled to his wife. Together they had more children.
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  Speaker 2: Job sat among his new family, cherishing the memories of
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  Speaker 2: his old family. Job was spilling over with joy and
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  Speaker 2: gratefulness to God, and he lived a long and prosperous life.
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  Speaker 3: Today's story begins with Job walking away from his friends
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  Speaker 3: because they were toxic. In other words, their tenacious accusations
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  Speaker 3: against Job's character were silly and senseless because God knew
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  Speaker 3: that he had done nothing wrong, that God was not
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  Speaker 3: punishing him. He knows that he has not sinned against
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  Speaker 3: God in any way that would demand God's justice. Surely
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  Speaker 3: he's done nothing to deserve this terrible fate, so much loss.
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  Speaker 3: Job does not accuse God, but he is filled with doubts.
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  Speaker 3: He wants to hear from God and to know why,
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  Speaker 3: why this suffering. God knows, of course, everything that's been
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  Speaker 3: going on between Job and his wife, Job and his friends,
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  Speaker 3: and the questions that Job is asking himself and God.
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  Speaker 3: So now it's time for God to say something, for
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  Speaker 3: God to speak. And he comes to Job in a whirlwind.
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  Speaker 3: How terrifying that must have been for Job. He must
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  Speaker 3: have been thinking, what's next? All these blows that have
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  Speaker 3: come against me, and now this wind is blowing against me.
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  Speaker 3: Maybe Job thinks to himself, well, perhaps God is trying
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  Speaker 3: to kill me. But death wasn't what God had in
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  Speaker 3: mind for Job. God was about to teach Job and us.
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  Speaker 3: God says get ready and unleashes a barrage of questions
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  Speaker 3: for Job to answer. These are questions from God that
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  Speaker 3: Job cannot answer. Only God himself can answer the questions
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  Speaker 3: of suffering and pain in life, and that's the whole point.
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  Speaker 3: God says to Job, where were you when I laid
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  Speaker 3: the earth's foundations, when I hung the moon and the stars?
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  Speaker 3: God references all of creation from the distant stars and
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  Speaker 3: celestial bodies to the deepest oceans to the animals that
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  Speaker 3: roam the earth. God knows the when and the how
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  Speaker 3: and the why of everything. As you listen to the
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  Speaker 3: questions from God, ask yourself, what is God asking me?
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  Speaker 3: God's questions put Job in his place, and he knows
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  Speaker 3: he cannot offer an answer, and he admits this to God.
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  Speaker 3: But God isn't finished. He challenges Job to answer if
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  Speaker 3: he can match God's might and power. Humbled, Job answers God,
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  Speaker 3: beginning in Job 42, verses 1 through 3. Then Job
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  Speaker 3: answered the Lord and said, I know that you can
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  Speaker 3: do all things and that no purpose of yours can
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  Speaker 3: be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore,
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  Speaker 3: I have uttered what I did not understand, things too
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  Speaker 3: wonderful to be, things that I do not know. God
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  Speaker 3: hears the humble heart of his servant and the repentance,
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  Speaker 3: and he accepts it. He then turns to Job's friends
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  Speaker 3: and rebukes them for assuming that they knew God's thoughts
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  Speaker 3: and ways. They too repent, and Job offers sacrifices for
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  Speaker 3: his friends, returning to his priestly and godly role. Job
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  Speaker 3: has withstood the test, never turning from his trust and
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  Speaker 3: faith in God. And what does God do? In time,
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  Speaker 3: God restored his health and increased his wealth and his
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  Speaker 3: family line beyond what he had lost. The book of
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  Speaker 3: Job is all about how we handle the question of
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  Speaker 3: suffering in life. All the pain, all the heartache, all
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  Speaker 3: the tragedies that we see around us, what does God
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  Speaker 3: have to say about these? And this powerful story of
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  Speaker 3: Job reminds us that God is in control, and that
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  Speaker 3: while we can certainly ask questions of God, we should
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  Speaker 3: never question God. Let me say that again. You can
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  Speaker 3: ask God questions, any question, but do not question God.
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  Speaker 3: Do not question his faithfulness, his trustworthiness, his love for you.
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  Speaker 3: And if you know that, if you know that God
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  Speaker 3: loves you with an everlasting love and that his love
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  Speaker 3: will never let you go, then you can persevere through
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  Speaker 3: any trial and even life's greatest tragedies. Dear God, your
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  Speaker 3: might and majesty are so far beyond what we can understand,
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  Speaker 3: but we thank you for reminding us in the story
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  Speaker 3: of Job that you are steadfast through our struggles, that
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  Speaker 3: when we cry out to you and lean on you
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  Speaker 3: and believe in you and your plan for our lives,
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  Speaker 3: then you always work all things together for good and
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  Speaker 3: that you can restore and redeem what is broken in
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  Speaker 3: our lives. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 3: be sure to visit jackgram.org. God bless you.