[Darris McNeely] Every year, my wife goes through a Bible reading program where she reads everything from Genesis to Revelation. A lot of you do the same thing, and I have as well. Two or three years ago, we were sitting...well, one morning having our coffee, my wife was going through her Bible reading, and she was in the book of Job. And she said to me at some point, she just kind of put her book down, "Honey, can you explain to me the book of Job and why it's even here? This is depressing. The story of Job and losing his family, and then his health is attacked, and all of this story, and it goes on and on and on." And then she says, "It just doesn't end." I said, "Honey, keep reading, get to chapter 38, and then you'll begin to understand."

She did. She doesn't ask me that question anymore. But it is a point that we need to think about because we all know the story of Job, and it's a very powerful, valuable story of a man who God afflicted and allowed to be afflicted in a unique time and way. I think one of the reasons that Job is there is to remind us that God did it once with Job, but he's not going to do it with us. And the lesson, the story, is written for us to look at and to learn from, and to mine the spiritual teaching, the understanding about God, about our life, and how to approach God. One of the things that I look at when I come to chapter 38, especially of Job, where God then begins to answer and steps in and challenge Job, and asked that basic question, "Where were you, Job, when I laid the foundations of the earth?" And He just goes question after question after question for several chapters there toward the end of the book, just challenging Job with his greatness, God's greatness and Job's inadequacies, Job's frailties.

And where were you Job when I did this, when I accomplished this, and the power that I have? In other words, Job wasn't there. Job wasn't the be-all and the end-all as we might say. And there's a theme I think, that I kind of detect from that and I was talking about recently. Basically, what Job is being instructed to do is what all of us need to do. At times when we are in stress, when we're in a big trial, and a big difficulty, thinking all have turned against us and maybe God's not even hearing us, step back, step back and look up. I think that's what God is saying to Job in those chapters. Job, take a step back from yourself. Take a step back from your situation. As dire, difficult, and challenging as it may be, take a step back and look up. Put your eyes on God, put your eyes on My power and My glory. I think that is the big takeaway, at least for me, and among many takeaways out of the book of Job for us to think about in our life.

And you know how it ends when it comes down to Job 42? Finally, Job says, "I know that you can do anything and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you. Who hides counsel from you without knowledge?" Job says in Job 42:5, "I've heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you. Therefore, I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes." Job came to the point where he now saw God from an entirely different perspective. To get that perspective, we have to step back and look up at times.

Keep that in mind as you go through the challenges, the difficulties, the times of anxiety and stress, and the trials that we face. God's with us. God hears us. God is in charge. God is in control, and He is working in our lives even through those difficult times. Step back and look up, and it'll help us see God, the God we have heard about, the God we have talked about, and the God that we can know.

That's "BT Daily," join us next time.