He says to the snow, “Fall on the earth,” and to the rain shower, “Be a mighty downpour.” Job 37:6
Named for a tough blue-collar neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, the grassroots musical group Over the Rhine sings about a transformation that took place each year in the city. “Whenever we’d get our first real snowfall of the year, it felt like something sacred was happening,” explains band co-founder Linford Detweiler. “Like a little bit of a fresh start. The city would slow down and grow quiet.”
If you’ve experienced a heavy snowfall, you understand how it can inspire a song. A magical quietness drapes the world as snow conceals grime and grayness. For a few moments, winter’s bleakness brightens, inviting our reflection and delight.
Elihu, the one friend of Job who may have had a helpful view of God, noted how creation commands our attention. “God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways,” he said (Job 37:5). “He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ ” Such splendor can interrupt our lives, demanding a sacred pause. “So that everyone he has made may know his work, he stops all people from their labor,” Elihu observed (vv. 6–7).
Nature sometimes seizes our attention in ways we don’t like. Regardless of what happens to us or what we observe around us, each moment—magnificent, menacing, or mundane—can inspire our worship. The poet’s heart within us craves the holy hush.
What events or things motivate you to ponder God’s greatness and creativity? How can you experience His wonder in your ordinary moments today?
Father, help me to see Your hand in everything today. Give me a heart to appreciate Your amazing works.
INSIGHT
The book of Job is renowned as a treatise on how suffering impacts us as human beings, so much so that the bulk of the book’s content is devoted to Job (and his friends) processing and trying to understand his pain and loss. As such, it breaks down into three major sections: the events of Job’s suffering (chs. 1–2), the dialogue about his suffering (chs. 3–37), and God’s response to his complaint about his suffering (chs. 38–42). In the lengthy middle section, Job and his friends engage in debate about the meaning of suffering, with three friends taking turns to reflect on Job’s situation. It’s a fourth friend, Elihu, who joins the discussion in today’s biblical text. The theme of his discourse? That Job is wrong for questioning God because His mysterious works are beyond our comprehension and should be viewed with trust in His perfect, trustworthy character.
To learn more about the book of Job, visit ChristianUniversity.org/courses/the-book-of-job/.