Waiting At Lights
This young girl was clearly in a hurry, as she could not stop pressing the pedestrian light button.
Job 23:1-17
Reference: v.12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. (TNIV Bible)
Explore: The other day I was sitting at a set of lights waiting for them to turn green. As I sat there I noticed a teenage girl standing at the pedestrian crossing also waiting for her signal to go. She had pressed the button to set the lights into motion however seeing that she was crossing a main road it was taking a while for the lights to go through their sequence. This young girl was clearly in a hurry, as she could not stop pressing the pedestrian light button. It was like she thought that consistently pressing the button over and over again would make the sequence speed up and her green light would arrive sooner. It took a couple of minutes for the sequence to change and I watched her pounding away at the button the whole time.
Application: While the judgemental side of me wanting to roll my eyes at this young girl and mutter some comment about the impatience of the younger generation, I know that if I did so I would be being totally hypocritical. I get so frustrated when I have to wait for someone or something. I control my life so that every minute is accounted for and maximised and I get so impatient when something challenges my routine. And yet all of life can not be controlled. We can not control illness, accidents or other people's actions. The only thing we can control is how we decide to respond. While Job was incredibly devastated by all that had happened in his life I am constantly amazed at the verses that keep coming up that show his dedication to God. Even though Job was totally out of control, and he knew that God could take control, he was still willing to have faith and hope in God. It's such a great example for us, that even when things did not go to his way, Job still believed in a powerful God.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we lose faith in You. May we see Your power and Your grace in every situation. Amen.
What is out of your control?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.