A few days a week, our notoriously chaotic and tardy household experiences a mini miracle. Somehow, we make it downstairs in time to eat breakfast, and inevitably, my four-year-old daughter asks to listen to her favorite catechism songs. And before I’ve had one sip of coffee, it starts: kid voices, electronic synth background music, and “GOD IS THE CRE-A-TOR OF EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING!” Then it repeats, and repeats again, and even in my pre-caffeinated state, I’m aware and grateful that this will be the song my girl has stuck in her head all day.
“What is God?” The answer to this question, in some form or fashion, is foundational to every Church creed. It’s also touched upon in the very first sentence of Scripture. Everything started from God, who has no beginning and no end. And implicit in the story of creation is the sheer goodness, creativity, and affection of our Maker.
This is the truth God thunders from the whirlwind when He appears to the long-suffering Job. His speech in chapters 38 and 39 hearkens back to the story of creation in Genesis chapter 1: God created the earth and sea, the light and dark, the weather, the stars, and the animals (Job 38:4–39:30).
God presents two challenges to Job during His speech, and these two chapters contain the first. God is essentially asking, Do you understand how all this was made? How it all works? He is challenging Job’s finite understanding with all these questions. He’s challenging Job’s focus on himself.
God is not finished with His speech, but the start of it is more than enough for Job to fall back into his place. He has been reminded of Who he is speaking to, and just what the Maker of heaven and earth is capable of doing. And we, like Job, can marvel at His majesty and find our provision in His mercy.
The Heidelberg Catechism, written in 1563, poses this question and answer about the first line of the Apostles” Creed:
Question: What do you believe when you say,“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”?
Answer: That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ the Son. I trust God so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends upon me in this sad world. God is able to do this because he is almighty God and desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.
God is almighty and faithful, full of mercy and majesty, creativity and care. As He declares His infinite holiness in these chapters, He does so to one man, Job. But God’s message is an eternal, cosmic truth, an invitation for each of us to rest in the security of knowing that we, too, are intimately loved by our Creator.
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60 thoughts on "God’s First Speech"
Lord thank you for being my lord!
Great read!
Glory to God in highest!
Growing up in a Christian family has desensitized me to the truths in these chapters. I’m not sure how to become sensitive again, but I do pray it will happen. Either way, when I come into another hard time in my life, I know which chapters I will be turning to.
She might be referring to the New City Chatechism… Free app with kid and adult version’s within the same app, songs are there too
Praying for you all
Hi!
Curious what songs of the catechism you refer to? Would love to find for my kids!
Being reminded of God’s power and majesty could be a scary thing if we were not confident of His tenderness and love for each of us. Praising God today for His power and wisdom … and His kindness and love ❤️
Good point. Thank you for the reminder
I have been dealing with so much anxiety and irrational fears. It’s been causing me to get depressed and I am so tired of it. I went back to see my therapist and had to start taking medication because I was spiraling down. I keep trying to remind myself that God is in control & that somehow this will work for my good. As a mom of four children, two with special needs, dealing with my own issues is so difficult as I already have to much in my plate. I’m learning to rely on God completely for everything because right now He is my only hope… as He had always been.
To Kristin, I am battling the same things. I get so caught up in trying to understand that it causes me so much fear. Please listen to Sheltdee by Vertival Worship, and Prince of Peace- Live by Hillsong. These have been helping me. Much love
When driving sometimes I play Prince of Peace by Hillsong over and over. His love surrounds us when our thoughts wage war…these words from this song speak to me over and over…at the very end it says And You heard my prayer…amen!
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Tracey,
I myself am going through a season of suffering right now, made all the worse by the fact that I expected a time of great enjoyment and world exploration. I’m seeking deeply for the truth of joy in all circumstances and will be praying for you as well. I can’t begin to understand your pain or hardship, but it won’t stop me reaching out. You are not alone.
God has a sense of humor! Job obviously is not capable of what God is capable of doing. It just reminds me that God does abundantly more than we can ask, think, or imagine. He did that with me, with my internship in Hawaii. I worry and am so small, but God still had a plan. He knew that I love it there, and how it has an amazing display of his incredibly beautiful Creation everywhere you look. The beaches, the mountains, the animals…he definitely shows off. So grateful and so in awe. Praying for peace and trust, and to not worry about or be afraid of the future. He holds it all. He is in control. He has a plan.
To Bessie H. Thanks so much for sharing both the podcast and song! Both were for me. They are great!
Just being honest here…
I feel like if I’m going to have to endure suffering, I’d at least like to be able to see the good that comes from it. Ultimately I don’t understand the need for suffering, and I’m okay with that because I accept that God is sovereign over all. That just doesn’t help the fact that I have very real and present pain and heartache in the here and now that doesn’t go away. My head has the knowledge, but my heart still hurts.
Amen. I think either I often miss it or don’t understand the lessons or good that come from suffering. Of course, often I’m too self-absorbed and forget to count the blessings I do have even in the midst of problems. Not to offend anyone here, but overall this has been a frustrating at best study to me. While I don’t subscribe to thoughts that we deserve anything (I wonder where all those commercials came up with that notion about we’re deserving?), God knows I don’t get it and He knows I’m aware I didn’t create anything. He also knows I’m trying to trust Him and not worry too much. Frankly, He created me this way. This is always where I realize the free-will conundrum…
Our God is far beyond our grasp. So thankful that He desires our hearts and sacrificed all to show us grace. If you have a chance to listen to Michael Todd at Transformation Church’s Release series it is awesome. Today I realized when Elijah battled the believers of Baal. When He poured water over the wood and bull and alter. That these messes that entangle the hearts and souls of our children, addiction, the loss of their children, or whatever it mat be are nothing for our Mighty God but a place for His power to be seen. Praise Jesus! Light and life to you my sister’s in Christ. His love never ever fails.
Tricia, lifting you in prayer.
Okay, so I can’t get past the first paragraph…your four-year-old daughter asks for catechism songs? My kids wouldn’t even know what that word means. :-( So I’m excited for how you’re sowing into your kids, but defeated by how I’ve failed my kids…again.
Hi Jill, I think all of us moms feel like that at different moments. Hang in there and keep in His word. He will help it flow out of you so you can turn and share it with your kids in new ways. Recently I’ve been reading “Walking with God in the season of motherhood” by Melissa Kruger. It’s practical and been helpful. I would recommend it.
i read that and prayed that i’d be able to have a family some day so i can teach them to follow God like this and to teach them his Word
My kids don’t learn catechism, but we talk about faith together. When my eldest was little he would tell God jokes. 2 of my kids have autism and I’m learning that God is bigger than one (or two) parenting styles…
It was such a good reminder that God really does see everything, every detail, He hears every thought and He listens to every conversation.
I just listened to a podcast interview of a man named Stephen Meyer. He is a scientist who studies ‘Intelligent Design’. First of all, I am in awe that God created a mind that can grasp these complex concepts. Secondly, how amazing our God is to have designed this world. I love that the more our world is studied, with ever increasing tools and knowledge, the more it is revealed that there had to be a Designer. Darwin’s evolution theory is crumbling.
Angie, I am still pondering what your precious grandson said about his Sunday School lesson . I live on a mountain and walk the woods every day. So often as I walk I sing about God’s majesty, but this week especially I’ve been singing ‘This is my Father’s world and to my listening ears”.
We can rest in the thought, “This is my Father’s world, oh let me ne’er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yer. Our God is an Awesome God, let us not forget that as we start a new day!
These are some notes I had written in my Bible for these two chapters:
Chapter 38. “Sometimes I need to broaden my perspective by lifting my eyes off the ash heap of my distressing circumstances and redirect my attention to the life-giving majesty, eternal wisdom and exceptional power of my God so that I can live in the glorious light of who He is. And sometimes it takes a whirlwind for God to get my attention.”
Chapter 39. “It seems God wanted to shift Job’s focus and teach Job that the strength to persevere through his difficult season was found not in knowing the why regarding suffering but in knowing the who.”
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Tricia, God brought you to my heart and mind last night and today. God is going before you. He loves you and will be your strength.
Kristen, my darkest times became my Light. May that be the case for you as well. Every single time an anxious thought or panic attack came I gave them up immediately to prayer. When they were too dark for words, I sang hymns of worship, over and over and over. The result was God came near and peace was mine. He is with you.
May we each one hear and rest in these words of God’s in Job 38-41 – not because they are what a good person would do or because it is what is expected in our Christian culture, but because they are TRUE. God is all of this and so much more. The All-Powerful, Holy, Righteous God breathed His breath into each of us. He chose to give us life and has called us to be His own. He lives inside us through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are His. Selah.
Thank you Angie, I know this was written for someone else, but I really appreciated reading this yesterday
Finally! Did anyone else feel like this slow devotional reading has you weary of the human back and forth, LONGING for the chapters where God finally weighs in? What a perspective to take into the mundane tasks of today — the world spins on, but He sees it all. He sees me, he has never not been in control, and there will be a day when Christ returns!
YES!!
I had the same reaction this morning! FINALLY ❤️ I know i could’ve read ahead in the Bible, but felt I’d be cheating on everyone in this study, lol. (This is my first time reading Job.)
Yes, I was feeling that too, and when I read your post I realized that I often move around the world seeking people to give their opinion to me, or tell me what’s next, or ask why I feel like I am in transition. Or how do I not live in fear with my son’s life threatened this week? I see now that I need to go to God, only.
Agree with all of you! I have been waiting for God’s reply and am not disappointed. HE IS! We need only hear His voice and be reminded that He is God. Our small finite selves cannot compare, we can only bow down. Praise be to God!
The song “Where Were You?” By Ghost Ship is powerfully written from these chapters of Job.
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“In the beginning God…” Sooner or later we each must decide if this is truth. Our response propels the trajectory of our worldview and how we will then live our lives. If God is sovereign, if He is the Creator, then I know my place, my purpose. But read past Genesis 1:1 and learn that though He is sovereign and creator, He is not distant. He came to dwell with the creation He loves. He gave His only Son that we might be with God forever. Read all the way through Revelation. Read of the Father God’s great and powerful love. You will stand amazed and you will fall to your knees in worship. We all will.
I would love to know where to purchase the catechism songs.
Praying for you Kristen. Praying that God can transform you – as He transformed me – from the inside out to rid your body of anxiety. Thoughts and feelings that cause worry are attacks from the enemy. Root yourself in daily scripture, remove triggers from your life and replace with worship. For me, I had to stop listening to NPR in the car and now I listen to praise music. Exercise and get a good nights sleep. God can free you from anxiety – I am a witness to his incredible power. To Him be all the glory.
Amen April a great testimony to His Power when we let go and let God paint a beautiful landscape in our lives daily.
Amen!
Praying for you Tricia – praying for discernment on the path you’re on. Praying that you will feel God close to you and that comfort and peace will abound. Praying that, in Jesus’s name, no cancer will be found in your chest. That any procedures have been used as God’s tools to remove cancer from your body.
This is beautiful. I get so anxious. This reminds me that He is in control and able to provide and work everything out. He loves us. I need to remember all of this. I don’t want to feel anxious, worried or tormented anymore. I do want to see God for who He is. I need to surrender more to Him. I’m scared. But, I know His ways are better, and the way I’m living isn’t giving total freedom that I could have in Jesus. Is it really living to be anxious so much during the day? Please pray for me.
Kristin, I’ve had Phillipians 4:6- 7 running through my head for days. It has helped! I know it will help you too.
Hi Kristen! Thank you for sharing your experience! I, too, deal with anxiety on the daily.
I try and remind myself as well that God is ultimately in control of everything. My job is to pray for the wisdom and guidance I need to navigate life and trust that God will faithfully lead the way.
One book I picked up recently is called Anxious for Nothjng by Max Lucado —a Christian author.
I’m not quite at the end but it’s really great so far :)
I’ve been in a season of anxiety too. It feels terrible to live scared and in fear of when anxiety the feelings will strike. I’m praying for you – that this amazing God that cares so much for us – will help you take every thought captive. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Remember God, the Lord of Armies, is fighting for you – and me! The book – It’s Not Supposed to be this Way by Lysa TerKerst is also helpful. ❤️
How often do I overlook God’s majesty? How often do I take for granted the miracle of his creation? Are there even enough hours in a day to marvel at His goodness? And yet, He loves me. I am His and I call him, “Father.” How different today will be!
How often do I overlook God’s majesty? How often do I take for granted the miracle of his creation? Are there even enough hours in a day to marvel at His goodness? And yet, He loves me as His own and bids me call him, “Father.”
As I head off to Sloan Kettering in New York City to see the oncologist again, I will have a CT done to confirm that I have no cancer metastasized in my chest from the tumor I had in my leg. I am reminded of God’s power and that He is in control. He made me, and He has the ultimate power in my life. I’ve given it to Him. Please pray with me sisters, that the CT of my chest will show no cancer, as I am praying this. I have already declined chemo, as I don’t feel that is God’s desire for me. His will be done. Thank you so much. Tricia
Praying ❤️
Praying that God will do what only He can do. May you find rest and peace in knowing that He’s in control.
Amen!
Praying for you this morning.
Praying
Praying Tricia!
Praying beautiful sister in Christ! ❤️
I am praying for you Tricia. Rest and be at peace in God’s loving arms
Praying for you today. I pray that you will be filled with complete peace. I pray that whatever the outcome that God will make this count for His Kingdom.
Praying now
Praying for a clean bill of health for my courageous and strong sister Tricia! May His will be done in all things. Glorify His Name, our anchor.