“Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.” (Job 38:3)
God’s silence was deafening to Job. In the void, his need to know became obsessive. Others tried to fill in the blanks, but he wanted none of their guesswork. He begged them to hold their peace, and God to open His mouth. He must have his audience with God. God had to explain Himself. His heart would rest in nothing less.
Both God and man can be a maddening mystery to us at times. “Why” is a plaguing question. We plead for answers, but are met with a wall of silence.
Secrets do belong with God and man. Unless one is willing to open up and give us access into their thoughts we are left to our speculations. Job concluded some things about God that missed the mark. Such is the danger of being in the dark. Imaginations can take a hold of us. The Lord knew when it was time to put an end to Job’s mania.
But what did the Lord do when He finally showed up? He told Job nothing of the reasons behind the affliction that came upon him. He turned the tables on His servant, saying: “Okay, Job. You have questions for Me. Well I have a bunch for you. Get ready to answer!” And when all was said and done, it was Job who was silent. Oh, how much he did not know. Oh, how much knowledge did he have to do without. He would just have to be at peace in the face of things he could not understand.
So it is with us. Demanding answers to life’s mysteries can drive us mad. There is a time to search for answers and there is a time to call off our search and find a peace that passes all understanding.