a song our experience won't outgrow

Some weeks ago, on a Friday off work, I went with Liz and our granddaughter, Isla, to ‘Bookbug’ at our local library. For 30 minutes I was plunged into the world of toddler’s songs and stories! Isla even asked the organiser to sing one of her favourites - ‘Row, Row, Row the Boat’. On her way there and back she did the actions to the songs and tried to sing the words. This is her world and she is so happy to be part of it. However, I can’t imagine Isla walking to high school as a teenager singing, ‘Hello Everyone’ or ‘See the Little Bunnies’! It’s more likely to the 2030s version of Taylor Swift! In that day she will have long outgrown these ‘Super Simple Songs’ (a Spotify playlist!). 

In recent days I’ve found a song in God’s Word that our experience will not outgrow. It appears three times on the pages of the Old Testament and captures the unfolding story of God’s commitment to, and guidance of, his people.  

It appears first in the book of Exodus as, fresh from their deliverance from Egypt, Moses sings, “The Lord is my strength and song; he has become my salvation” (Exodus 15:2). Undoubtably, this is THE defining moment in Israel’s history when they were redeemed by God from slavery in Egypt. And this act of redemption has become the central motif for God’s people ever since. We are “redeemed…with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19).

The experience of the Israelites is a reminder of what God has done for his people in the past. He has saved us. “It is by grace you have been saved…” (Ephesians 2:8) We are saved from the penalty of sin.

The second time this sentence appears in Scripture is in Psalm 118. “The Lord is my strength and song; he has become my salvation” (Psalm 118:14). It is written by a follower of God and captures a sense of what it mean to live for God in the stuff of life. This account of David is a reminder of what God does for his people in the present. He saves us. “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). He saves us from the power of sin.

The final time this sentence appears is in the prophecy of Isaiah. "The LORD, the LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation" (Isaiah 12:2). Isaiah writes in the future tense and anticipates the coming kingdom of God. And this record of Isaiah affirms what God will do for his people in the future. He will save us. “…our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). He will save us from the presence of sin. 

“The Lord is my strength and song; he has become my salvation”.

Past…

…Present… 

…Future…

Saved…

…Being saved…

…Will be saved… 

Here is a song that our experience will not outgrow. 

What God was when we first trusted him, 

he is today as we walk with him 

and he will be on into eternity. 

Our Strength. Our Song. Our Saviour.

(Picture - Loch Leven and the Pap of Glencoe)

job interview

 I’m sure at one point or another each of us has wondered what it would be like to sit down with a person in history and chat to them about their life and times.

Who would you like to converse with?

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve imagined what it would be like to meet with Job over a cup of coffee (has to be a Flat White!) and ask him to reflect on his life experience.

Here’s what I saw of that conversation in my mind’s eye…

Me. I get the sense from reading your book that family was a deeply important part of your life. As you look back over your early journey, what values mattered most to you around the home you were building?

Job. When I recollect those precious years watching my family grow up, one thing stood out. I describe it in the following way, “God’s intimate friendship blessed my house” (1). I had a very strong sense that I was in the slipstream of his plan for my life. Marriage was his design and my children were the gracious gift from that union. 

More than anything I longed that my children would follow God’s purpose for their lives. I often rose early in the morning with the sole intention of committing them into God’s hands and asking him that there would never be a time when they did not walk with him (2). That’s why my heart was so utterly broken when they were wrenched out of my life.  

Me. I won’t pretend that I can in anyway understand the crushing loss you experienced. How do you look back on those desolate times?

Job. The pain was unimaginable. The truth is that I could barely function. The veil of suffering was so heavy upon me that I lay down in utter desolation under a suffocating cloak of deep darkness. 

Me. It seems to me that there were times when you got very close to saying, “I tried to be a good person but what good did it do me”. However, you never quite got to that point. What drew you back from going there?

Job. Put simply tiny shafts of light would on occasions pierce the inky blackness of my circumstances. Somehow in those moments I knew that God knew…and that brought me glimmers of hope (3).

Something else happened that I cannot fully explain or clearly articulate. This also gave me reason to hope. In the shadows I sensed the coming of Someone who would vindicate and restore me. It almost seemed that God himself would step into my world. Can you imagine how remarkable that would be? I sensed that this One would listen to my cries of abandonment and bring a level of comfort that I so desperately longed for (4).

Me. The wonderful truth is that you emerged from the dark tunnel of suffering into bright light of day. I expect that it took a while for your eyes to focus again. When they did, what did you see?

Job. It was actually more what I heard! Having lived so long in season when God was silent (5), how my heart was lifted when I eventually heard God speak…And speak to me! (6). Over period of around 12 minutes he took me on a virtual tour of the universe. I will never forget the illuminating truths that unfolded as he gave his perspective on the world that I live in; its balance, its order, its wonder (7). God spoke and I fell silent. All my protestations were put to one side for a moment as the majesty of God’s character filled my horizons.

Me. That must have been a truly remarkable time. However, it doesn’t appear that God answered the question that dominated much of your thinking, “Why?”

Job. Well, no, that much is true. If I’m honest that thought still enters my mind at times. However, something deeper and more profound happened as God led me across the highest heavens and plunged me into the deepest depths of the oceans. I realised that I had spoken without knowledge. I was uttering mysteries that no human can ever truly fathom. My goal moving forward is to live by faith believing in a bigger and better story for my life. I say this because my encounter with God led me from mere head knowledge about him into a deep experiential experience of his presence in my life (8). 

Me. Thank you for sharing those insights. As you look back over your long journey are you able sum up in a short sentence what you have learned?

Job. I once described it like this, “God knows the way that I take” (9) I know that God knows! He knowledge is infinite (10). His ability to redeem is boundless (11) and his love is eternal (12).

1. Job 29:4

2. Job 1:5

3. Job 23:10

4. Job 19:25

5. Job 30:20

6. Job 38:1

7. Job 38-41

8. Job 42:5

9. Job 23:10

10. Job 42:1-3

11. Job 19:25

12. Job 29:4

As I listen to this song I think about Job…

job application

 You might want to make yourself a tea or coffee before reading today’s blog! It is longer than normal because I want you to read Job’s words firsthand. I find them utterly compelling!

One of the big questions that arises in this ancient book from the Hebrews Scriptures is, “Can I actually trust God?” 

Trust is at the heart of every true relationship. It is the foundation and most basic building block in all good and healthy relationships

Therefore, you might imagine that Job, given all that he had gone through, would find it difficult to trust God again. In one devastating day he lost everything – possessions, family and even his health. His friends saw it as a judgment from God because of his sin and so he lost their support. His wife urged him to curse God and even she distanced herself from him. There are times when he rages against God; moments when in utter despair he prays that God would blot out the day he was born. He can find no reason why so much suffering has come knocking at his door.

Is a relationship with God, based on trust, possible now?

Incredibly, Job’s answer is, “Yes.” From a place of seeming abandonment he finds a reason to hope. 

Some time ago I climbed one of the mountains in Glencoe. It was a fairly cloudy but thankfully dry day. And there was a moment on the summit when the sun broke through the clouds and its rays lit up the whole of the hillside. It was a truly beautiful sight (see photo below). Something like that happens in the book of Job. There are brief glimpses of faith, similar to the sun’s rays, bursting through the dark and menacing clouds of suffering and despair.

On what basis, then, does Job trust God?

He reflects on the fact that God’s works are INDESCRIBABLE…

He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
    he suspends the earth over nothing.
He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
    yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon,
    spreading his clouds over it.
He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
    for a boundary between light and darkness.
The pillars of the heavens quake,
    aghast at his rebuke.
By his power he churned up the sea;
    by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
By his breath the skies became fair;
    his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
    how faint the whisper we hear of him!
    Who then can understand the thunder of his power?’

(Job 26:7-14)

The conclusion Job arrives at is that if this is something of the greatness of God then I can trust him with the details and circumstances of my life.

He then considers how God’s wisdom is IMMENSE…

¹² But where can wisdom be found?
    Where does understanding dwell?
¹³ No mortal comprehends its worth;
    it cannot be found in the land of the living.
¹⁴ The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
    the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
¹⁵ It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
    nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

²⁰ Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?
²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
    concealed even from the birds in the sky.
²² Destruction and Death say,
    ‘Only a rumour of it has reached our ears.’
²³ God understands the way to it
    and he alone knows where it dwells,
²⁴ for he views the ends of the earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.
²⁵ When he established the force of the wind
    and measured out the waters,
²⁶ when he made a decree for the rain
    and a path for the thunderstorm,
²⁷ then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
    he confirmed it and tested it.
²⁸ And he said to the human race,
    ‘The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil is understanding.’

(Job 26:7-14)

God is wise. The comfort Job finds in this attribute of God is that he knows. There is enough truth in that one word for Job to go on trusting God in spite of his circumstances.

Finally he mediates on how God’s Word is INSIGHTFUL…

“But if I go to the east, he is not there;
    if I go to the west, I do not find him.

When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
    when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.

But he knows the way that I take;
    when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

My feet have closely followed his steps;
    I have kept to his way without turning aside.

I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
    I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.”

(Job 23:8-12)

Job circumstances appeared to point to the absence of God. He looked north, south, east and west and there seemed to be no evidence of God’s presence. 

But even here we find the bright rays of faith splitting through the clouds of unbelief.“But he knows the way I take; and when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (verse 10). This confidence grew in Job’s heart because he stuck close to God’s Word. He treasured it, allowed it teaching to direct the course of his life and followed its instructions closely.

In the great storyline of the Gospel of Christ which runs through Old and New Testaments we encounter (as Job did) a God who never, ever gives up on us and never stops calling us and pulling us and inviting us into a new and better future.

The God of Scripture is with us, around us, beside us and present with us in every moment…

Christ with me, Christ before me

Christ behind me, Christ in me

Christ beneath me, Christ above me

Christ on my right, Christ on my left

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I arise 

(St Patrick’s Breastplate 4th century)

(Picture - Blair Atholl)

job description

 “…yet will I hope in him.”

(Job 13:15)

The book of Job is one of those books in Scripture that makes you realise the Bible is not a tame book.  It doesn’t hide behind the hard realities of life. Someone has said of this book, “It is a storming, laughing, raging, mocking, sarcastic, weeping, praying, near-blasphemous, worshipping book. The language is beautiful and violent, haunting and a slap in the face, ecstatic and deranged. Above all, it’s mostly poetry, pouring out of the author’s innermost being, full of stunning images and metaphors and parables. Its pace, voltage and energy matches its subject: a godly man struggling with the spiritual despair of cruel, undeserved suffering.”

Here we have a godly man struggling with the spiritual despair of cruel, undeserved suffering. Viewed from that perspective it is a book that expresses the struggles Christians have faced in every generation. We all carry in our hearts unanswered questions about life and faith. And that is ok. We are not second class Christians if we have doubts and questions about our suffering and trials.

Job teaches us how to handle our suffering. As we listen to Job’s complaints we discover that he isn’t simply talking to the air. He is praying. He is talking to God. He is complaining about God but he is talking to God about it. Job encourages us to pour out our doubts, fears and anguish to God.

The conclusion that I believe this book comes to is found in the line of a Rend Collective song - “In the questions, your truth will hold.” God is bigger than our biggest question. His truth can hold the weight of our doubts and fears.

Back in 2009 our family visited the city of Toronto in Canada. The unmissable landmark in that city is the CN Tower. The CN Tower dominates the Toronto skyline at 1800 feet. The central pod has a glass floor from which you look down 1100 feet to the ground! But that glass floor easily support your weight. Signs say that multiple elephants can stand on it without it giving way. It will hold. 

The book of Job is saying that in our questions, God’s truth will hold.

Even though Job expressed his questions and grief in the strongest terms, he stayed with God. “…yet will I hope in him.” (Job 13:15). May God give us the grace to do the same.

(Picture - Glenfinnan)

job title

The gathering song at church this morning (February 9th) was the beautiful old hymn, “I heard the voice of Jesus say…” The following line stood out - “I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad…” It made an impression on me because over the last 10 days I have been reading the Old Testament book of Job. I imagined Job in the face of unimaginable suffering sitting by himself feeling weary and worn and sad. 

It is a book I treasure and having reflected on the opening two chapters once again there are a cluster of words that outline the character of Job. He stands out because of his personal qualities. His integrity shines through in the following sentence: 

“(Job) was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1).

Character is always rated higher than brain power in the biblical vision of humanity. “Is he a good person?” is a more biblical question than, “Is he clever?”

Again, when the Bible touches on character it refers to more than natural strength of character, or a very well-balanced personality that some people are born with. In the letter of 2 Peter, Peter urges his readers to seek character from God. People who by nature are timid or indecisive can grow in strength and resolution in Christ. “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need to live a godly life…” (2 Peter 1:3). Character becomes godly only through experience. There is no college or university course available on character, only life and grace mixed together will enable it to happen. “These trials will show that your faith is genuine…So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory  and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:7). Job was a man of such character.

The second characteristic of Job is found in the little phrase: “he feared God”.

Fear is one of our fundamental responses to God. The fear of Lord is something we can’t live without. This awe, reverence and adoration of God puts the whole of life into perspective.

A third aspect of Job’s character is his wisdom: “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom” (Job 28:28). His reverential slant of mind helped him to discern the truth.

This small sentence stands like a title over Job’s life providing a unique insight into the qualities which underpinned his life and faith. They act like an anchor in the storms that came his way. For much of the book Job is weary and worn and sad. Perhaps you feel like today. Take heart because Job was ultimately to find in God a resting place which made him glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest; 
Lay down, O weary one, lay down your head upon my breast.” 
I came to Jesus as I was, weary, worn, and sad; 
I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.

(Horatius Bonar)

(Picture - Rouken Glen, Glasgow)