Job should take a trip to the zoo.

 Ever read about the man named Job? Perhaps he ought to have taken a trip to the zoo.
Let me explain:

One affliction after another: robbery, death, disease.  After experiencing an incessant cycle of unwarranted disaster and hardship, Job audaciously makes his defense before God, attempting to convince the Almighty of his innocence. He must  notify God of the unfairness of his situation. After all, he had literally lost everything of significance in his life!

Little does Job realize that God is fully aware of his righteous life, and that in fact this calamity is not punishment, but rather a merciful test of his dedication to his God. The book of Job records some interesting conversations surrounding Job's predicament, including well-meaning friends who believe the reason for all this suffering most certainly must be punishment for personal sin and
wrongdoing.

But when all the bantering has ceased and the arguments have been made; when the rhetoric has finally run its course, God speaks to Job.  He reminds him in no small words to do what Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I AM GOD!" (Or better said, "Be still, and know that you're NOT God.")

Consider this conversation found in Job chapters 38-41.

God:
" . . . Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetites of the young lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket?

"Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?  Do you observe the calving of the does?"

"The wings of the Ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love?  For she leaves her eggs to the earth and lets them be warmed on the ground, forgetting that a foot may crush them and that the wild beast may trample them."

" Do you give the horse its might?  Do you clothe his neck with a mane . . . ?"


Job:
" Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?  I lay my hand on my mouth.  I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further."

Job is put in his place.  He closes his mouth.  Wise man. A trip to the zoo might have been helpful cure for self-pity, reminding Job that God's infinite creativity and power is reflected in all aspects of nature. If God can dream up the gills of a fish, or the feathers of an eagle, surely He is capable of handling problems and issues of mankind.

This means He can handle ours as well. If you're feeling a bit anxious. . .take a trip to the zoo.

Photos:
Kansas City Zoo last Saturday