"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements - surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb. when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed?

Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.

Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?

Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaaroth in their season, or can you guide the bear with its children? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?

Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does? Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time when they give birth, when they crouch, bring forth their offspring, and are delivered of their young?

Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrifying. He paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons. He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the sword.

Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south? Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high?

Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it. 

Then Job answered the LORD and said: "Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?" 

Excerpts taken from Job 38,39 and 40.

God never did reveal to Job why he encountered hardship. The enemy took the time of hardship to spew out lies. 

Sometimes this happens in my thoughts . . . though my hardships do not measure up to Job's in the slightest . . . . 

The Lie: This is only going to get worse. 

Truth: Do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. 

The Lie: You could be enjoying your children more if it were not for this. Precious time is slipping away while you waste it, here, hindered by this pain. 

The Truth: This pain is helping me keep my eyes on what lasts for eternity. Eternity will have no end and there, with a perfect body, I will enjoy not only my family but the Lord Jesus. 

The Lie: This is bad timing. Why did God allow this now? With small children? 

The Truth: Without these small children I would never force myself out of bed. I would lie there in pain feeling sorry for myself. Their needs and their faces are God's great mercy.

The Lie: God isn't going to help you get well. It's just part of living in a fallen world, and He allowed it to fall. 

This lie is the one that led my husband to read out of Job to me. 

The Truth: I am of small account. How can I question the Lord? I do not understand how the earth was made and the mysteries of sin, free will, grace, predestination, and forgiveness. If I understood, I would be God. 

I do know that, as I wake each morning, beside me is a man who has loved me like Jesus loves. I wake to the pattering feet of children who love life and have no fear of war, hunger, or cold. I awake in a beautiful home that the Lord granted to us. I awake as one who is redeemed. Not because of my works, or faith, strength, or lack of faltering. But simply because He died for me. And He loves me. 

And I know deeply that I am rich.