In Control

In my Wednesday night Bible class we are doing an overview of the Bible. Quite often an overview turns into a multi-year project that focuses on every verse but this is truly an overview. I've dug out a theme for each book, selected specific chapters that I believe are key to understanding the theme and even tried to narrow a verse or two as central to revealing the purpose of the book. By following these outlines we're generally able to get through four or five books each week.
One of the books we looked at last night was the book of Job. As I was doing my own review of Job it dawned on me that this is a book that teaches one very simple yet difficult to accept truth: No matter what is happening in life, our God is not only in control, He is always worthy of our praise and honor.
For some of you that may be a "DUH!" But I believe that for most of us it's a fact that we have verbally acknowledged but haven't completely bought into. We tend to believe that, because we know ourselves and our circumstances, we are best equipped to handle things ourselves. Job seemed to have that idea. He was so confident in himself that He was willing to verbally challenge the Lord.
What I find amazing though, is that when I rely on my own ability to control situations and circumstances, they almost always get messed up. When I humble myself to the point of truly allowing God to lead, those difficult times and decisions become much easier to deal with. Perhaps that's why James said, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up" (Jas 4:10).