“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south?” Job 39:26
The other day on one of our long exploratory afternoon walks, Margie and I passed by, of all things, a car museum. The last thing I expected to find in the urban sprawl of historic downtown Puebla was a car museum. The doors were wide open, so we wandered inside to inquire. It was only two U.S. dollars per person, so why not? We purchased two tickets and proceeded through the cars on display, the only two people in the exhibit. The collection was quite impressive, clearly the work of a life that was passionate about amassing cars that not only transported an individual, but told a story. And among them was one of my favorite makes and models, a Ferrari 288 GTO. As I gazed upon the carefully planned lines of the Italian metal and glass, I wondered about the maker. After all, there was a real person behind this design. What were they thinking as they created this beautiful masterpiece of speed, prowess, and control? And in this moment, I thought about why I don’t have this kind of wonder and amazement as I gaze upon other things in this world. Things much more complex than cars of cold, lifeless metal. I love dogs, but do I look at them with great wonder and reflect on how miraculously they were created? You see, in the busyness of life, we can quickly lose sight of the wonder of the Maker. Many times we carelessly walk this world, oblivious to the countless miracles of Godly creation that surround us on each side.
Chapter 39 of Job is a wonderland to walk through. Almighty God has silenced the wise men with His wondrous Words and thoughts. And within those Words He places Job into a suspended realm of perplexed thought as He proposes ways of seeing the animal world in which Job, or us, has probably never attempted to perceive, much less understand. How do the wild goats of the mountains bring forth their young? How are they born and within minutes scampering about in perfect health? God designed them in His perfection. How does the wild ox in his power and might survive in the arid plains of deserted nothingness? God created Him to thrive where other creatures would perish. Why does the ostrich have beautifully plumed wings yet cannot use them to fly? Man is not privy to the designing hands of Almighty God. Admire the magnificent steed in his strength and valor, where does the war horse receive his might to charge into battle, laughing at the fear other creatures cannot shed? God designed the DNA of the stallion, its rippling muscles, and fearsome snorts a testament to its purpose. How exactly does the majestic flight of the eagle process in your mind? They not only float on air but seem to command it, turning and carving the unseen currents like sharp steel. God simply tells Job of His splendor in creating the animals and ask one simple question…"in all of your proclaimed wisdom and understanding, can you explain the simplest of any of these?" And Job, in great humility, just as we should be, is allowed a slight reveal of the complexities of how God designed His world. Complexities that we can quickly and easily take for granted if we choose to rest in our own prideful, finite intellect.
Our personal understanding is something that we must battle each and every day. If I don’t understand it, can it be true? The answer is of course a resounding yes, but we still battle this thought process daily. Ask yourself, can I deny the wisdom and government of all things by God just because there are things in my life that I don’t understand? If honest, I think we can, at times, all answer yes. Job chapter 39 gives us great insight to overcoming this weakness…simply look around. Today as you walk this world, pray to see it with Godly lenses that will reveal the wonders shown us in the book of Job. Today don’t see just a common housecat, see a complex organic carnivorous mammal that God created to hunt, prowl and kill, yet still sit in your lap and purr with loving affection. Don’t just see a random bird in the sky, see that God mastered flight eons before the Wright brothers, allowing His birds to be the masters of the air. Don’t just see a monarch butterfly as a common flying insect, see it as something God created with little to no thinking process, yet its species completes a complex annual migration trip of over 3,000 miles. The migration process being so long and complicated that it takes four generations of the butterfly to complete one cycle. The beauty, splendor, wonder, and majesty of the Creator is all around you today, see it with eyes that credit the designer. See God’s hand upon the purpose and provision of His design, and rest assured, if He cares for the little sparrows, how much more does He care for you.
“Are not two little sparrows sold for a copper coin? And yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31
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