Ordinary Time
Pray a breath prayer, silently repeating the following phrases from Psalm 46 with each deep breath. (Repeat for as long as you like, but aim for at least 4-5 times.)
Breathe in: âBe still and knowâ
Breathe out: âthat I am God.â
Where were you when I laid the earthâs foundations? Tell me if you know. Who set its measurements? Surely you know. Who stretched a measuring tape on it? On what were its footings sunk; who laid its cornerstone, while the morning stars sang in unison and all the divine beings shouted?
Job 38:4-7
Our scripture for today contains just a few of the things that God sarcastically asks Job. (Of course, God already knows Job wasnât there as creation was coming into being.) Ultimately, Job acknowledges that thereâs a lot he doesnât know, saying, âI have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know,â and God restores much of what Job has lost (42:3,10). But Job has to make it through four solid chapters of questions to get there.
Maybe uncertainty is unsettling to you. Nerve wracking. Or maybe you feel like not knowing takes the pressure off and makes it easier to focus on whatâs in front of you. Either way, this part of Jobâs story reminds us that we donât have to have all the answers to follow God. We donât need to know everything to appreciate the gifts of creation or to trust that God is at work in and through them.
Allison Wehrung
Question to Ponder:
Where do you see, or wish you saw, God in your times of uncertainty?
All-knowing God, be with me in my questions.
Today I am questioningâŠ
Reassure me when I wonder, and lead me in your ways, even when itâs one step at a time.
Amen.
God be the love to search and keep me
God be the prayer to move my voice
God be the strength to now uphold me
O Christ, surround me
O Christ, surround me
Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, âO Christ, Surround Meâ