“What is man that You magnify him, and that You are concerned about him, that You examine him every morning and try him every moment? Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle? Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself?" Job 7:17-20
Job says that our God magnifies us, and is concerned about us. Job’s phrase “You are concerned” literally means “You set Your heart on” God has His heart set on man; He has His heart set on us! I can relate to Job’s thought “What is man…?” What is it about us that causes the Inventor of our world to set His heart on us? Another question: What is it about our Maker that He chooses to give us His heart, to give us His concern? Our God has a tender heart. He must love to see when we mimic His tenderness with our own. Such a heart would pricked at the thought of sinning against Him.
Job also says that God examines us every morning! Hmmm… Most of us don’t want others to see us in the morning before we brush our teeth, put on make-up, do our hair, etc. Our Lord knows us in a way that no one else does, a way that doesn’t even consider fancy make-up and impressive hairstyles. He notices hearts and therefore our true desires. It is our duty to consider ourselves in such a way as well.
“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test.” 2 Corinthians 13:5-6
The examination referred to by Paul is a tough one, but necessary. We cannot have peace of mind if we do not examine our heart. The peace that passes all understanding is a peace from assurance in one’s salvation regardless of earthly struggles and sorrows. In addition, we will have doubt that our prayers and praises to God are acceptable if we are not sure we “are in the faith.” How can we be useful to God if we are unsure of ourselves? Something I read stood out to me: “God gives men such constant opportunities to act out what is in their hearts, that nothing but negligence can prevent their coming to a decision of the matter.” Not only this, but we have the perfect tool for this required test: God’s law. The Bible is what we compare our lives and our hearts to in order to see if we “are in the faith.”
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
“For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12
With our father watching us from above and us examining ourselves here, Satan will have a hard time wedging himself in between.
G Shawna
G Shawna
