Kristi Burchfiel

VERSE: Job 41:11–“Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.”TRUTH: Sometimes we get the mistaken idea that God owes us. We look at things we’ve done and start to feel entitled to God providing us happiness and contentment. Nothing could be further from the truth. God owns all things and He is indebted to no one. He does not owe us anything. We owe Him everything. We must keep things in the right perspective and worship God for who He is. RESPONSE: Lord, forgive me when I start to think that You owe me. I will praise You and thank…

VERSE: Job 40:4–“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth.” TRUTH: God came to see Job and revealed Himself. As a result Job immediately saw the contrast between who God is and who he is. The God of the universe did not answer Job’s questions, but after seeing God, Job found that his questions really didn’t matter anymore. Job became silent as he waited to hear more from God. Do we see ourselves as God sees us? Do we recognize the great love He has for us, along with His great power and holiness? RESPONSE: Lord, compared to You, I am nothing.…

VERSE: Job 39:1–“Do you know the time the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the deer?” TRUTH: God is a God of details. It can be easy to think that God only concerns Himself with the big or important things that occur. Yet, God is deeply concerned about the details of His creation. He asks Job throughout this chapter about the little things of creation. Through this we can see God’s deep and profound love for His creations and His level of planning and care for them. We are part of that creation and He loves us, too. We can trust that He really does have…

VERSE: Job 38:4–“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” TRUTH: Many Bibles label this section “God Answers Job” and yet it would be more accurate to say that “God Questions Job.” Job has been asking God why He’s allowed these things to happen. God answers by asking Job questions that Job cannot possibly know the answers to. Why? Sometimes we need reminded that we do not know everything and we do not have all the answers. God is over all things, He is in control of all things, and He knows all things that we don’t. RESPONSE: Father, I wasn’t…

VERSE: Job 37:14-15–Listen to this, O Job, stand and consider this wisdom of God. Do you know how God establishes them, and makes the lightning of His cloud to shine? TRUTH: As Elihu concludes his speech to Job, he asks him to think about all the amazing wonders of God. He asks if Job can explain how God does them? God does so many amazing and wonderful and awesome creations, yet we can not explain how He does them, nor why. We must trust that God knows what He is doing and has a plan for all things. RESPONSE: Lord, I look at my life right now and I don’t…

VERSE:  Job 36:26–“Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; the number of His years is unsearchable.” TRUTH: As Elihu continues to speak, he makes this statement. All of these statements are true: God is exalted above everything, we do not and cannot know Him because of our sins, and the span of time that God covers is beyond our comprehension. However, Even though we cannot know God, He wants us to know Him. He wants us to be able to come to Him and share with Him. Because we could never know God on our own due to our sin and wrongs in our life, God made a…

VERSE: Job 35:12–“There they cry out, but He does not answer because of the pride of evil men.”TRUTH: Elihu continues speaking to Job. Unlike Job’s other friends, Elihu accuses Job, not of some past sin, but of a current sin: pride. Elihu believes that because Job is prideful, that is why God is not answering him. Like Job’s other friends, Elihu is wrong. There is nothing to indicate that Job is prideful and later in the book, God never indicates that. The fact of the matter is, sometimes, God simply chooses not to speak or answer our questions. Certainly, other places in the Bible, it indicates that God will not answer…

VERSE: Job 34:12–Surely, God will not act wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice. TRUTH: We see things happen and we wonder about the justice of the world. We don’t understand why God allows various things to happen. When we see those types of things, this is a truth that we must remember. God is just. God does not do evil. Often God’s timing is not what we would anticipate, or even what we would prefer. But God still is just and does not do evil. We can rest in that truth, even when we don’t understand why He’s allowing what He’s allowing. RESPONSE: Father, while I may not…

VERSE: Job 33:14–Indeed God speaks once, or twice, yet no one notices it. TRUTH: Elihu continues speaking and points out that God often speaks to people, but His words go unnoticed. People are not looking for or listening for a word from God. They miss it. We talk to God, we complain to God, we argue with God, but are we listening for God to speak to us? RESPONSE: Lord, You are full of wisdom and You want to teach and talk with me. I will focus today on listening for You to speak.

VERSE: Job 32:6–So Elihu the son of Barachel the Berzite spoke out and said, “I am young in years and you are old; therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.” TRUTH: Job’s friends have stopped answering him, so now Elihu speaks up, saying he was afraid to speak earlier because he’s so much younger than Job and his friends. Often there is the misconception that age equals wisdom. While age can certainly result in more life experience, only God equals wisdom. Therefore, even the smallest and youngest can be used by God to share His truth if they are obedient to Him and will allow…