I’ve asked “Where are you God?” and “What have you done for me lately?” before. In times of loneliness or loss or impatience, it is easy to doubt God’s presence and work in the world. When we move beyond our own situation (even if temporarily) and look around, we see all that God created. We see the clouds that produce rain, and we hear thunder during a storm. We stand in awe of the God who navigates the sand, sea, and skies so that lion and raven have food for themselves and their offspring. The God in Job definitely is a God of power and might. Job questions and God responds with “Here is what I have done. What have you done?” In this scripture, God calls us to recognize God’s place in the world God created. This passage highlights God’s presence in nature, with the lightning and the lion. With the rain and the raven. God created all these things and continues to be a part of these things. And yet. . . .
And yet, I do not quite resonate with the powerful God depicted in Job. We know Job is suffering and either God doesn’t know about it (God does) or God doesn’t care (does God?). And this is the heart of the problem for me. I prefer a God who is loving and knowledgeable far more than a God of power. A God of love would answer, “Here I am. I am always with you.” A God of knowledge would say, “I understand your pain. I have wept with you and walked with you and given you community to share in your grief.” Job doesn’t necessarily experience God in that way, but God’s love is present: in creation and provision for creation. Divine love abounds, even when we are too wrapped up in our own situation to see it.