Job endured many afflictions throughout his life. He was tried and tested to the limit, yet he never faltered in his belief in God even when others judged him for what came upon him. Job’s faith is truly admirable. I invite you to study the book of Job to fully come to appreciate Job’s conviction and gain personal strength to endure the challenges of life.
In Job 11:7, Zophar, one of Job’s friends poses two important questions:
7 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
What are your first impressions when you first ponder those questions? It seems overwhelming, doesn’t it? Can we truly search everything there is to know to find out God? What a daunting task! Human knowledge and theories are debated and constantly changing in their totality. One person’s understanding of the Bible can vary from another individual’s understanding of it so much so that different religions have appeared and different translations of the Bible have been printed. So how is it that we as humans can search to find out God?
Obtaining this knowledge should be one of our lifelong goals. Christ was God’s Only Begotten Son and came to do His Father’s will. And what was the Father’s will exactly?
John 6:39-40
39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jesus Christ was committed to follow through with the mission He was given even if it cost Him His life. He was willing to do the Father’s will at all costs. The Savior did not want to lose any one of us. He redeemed us and wants us to all have eternal life. Jesus is demonstrating the measure of His stature by His determination to fulfill His Father’s will.
If there is anyone that can truly teach us of the Father’s ways, it is Jesus Christ. He dedicated His ministry to doing just that. How grand would it have been to listen to the Savior preach and watch Him perform His miracles in person! We are very blessed to have the scriptures and be able to experience His ministry by reading about it. But His ministry can become much more personal and real through the aid of the Holy Ghost.
John 15:26
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
We are not left alone in this life to discern the scriptures by ourselves. The Comforter, the Holy Ghost, will testify of the truth and help build your testimony of Jesus Christ, which in turn will help build your testimony and expand your understanding of God. Our limited minds may lack the ability to understand all of the ways of God, but we are still capable of understanding what He is willing to impart upon us as we progress from one level of understanding to the next. It is okay to spend your whole life trying to search and understand God and come a fraction of degree closer to that knowledge than not putting in any effort at all. The knowledge we gain now is worth more than we can imagine.
So, to answer Zophar’s questions, here are my personal responses:
No, I cannot search and find out God by myself. I need the Savior to show me the way. I also need the Holy Ghost to guide me in this process and testify along the way. As I come to gain the knowledge I seek, my understanding will grow at the pace I can personally handle. One day, whether in this life or the next, I will find out who the Almighty God truly is in His entirety, and I will have a perfect knowledge of all things. That perfection is made available because of, and through, Jesus Christ and His commitment to fulfill the Father’s will at all costs.
I would love to read your responses! Please leave a comment below!
Now, how can WE follow the example of Christ to achieve another element of the Savior’s stature? We too should commit our lives to fulfilling the Father’s will. For example, something we can work on is to truly obey God’s commandments. But there are more personal things that God wants us to accomplish, and that my friends, is something you must figure out on your own. I challenge you to kneel in fervent prayer and figure out what the Father’s will is for your life at this particular moment. What would He have you do? Write down your impressions. As you fulfill His will, do not forget to ask again. He needs your commitment to help accomplish His work. He will grant you knowledge and understanding. Continue to seek and you WILL find the way.
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Fulness of Christ Series