He loads the thick cloud with moisture. The clouds scatter His lightning. They turn around and around by His guidance to accomplish all that He commands them on the face of the habitable world, whether for correction or for His land or for love. He causes it to happen.
– Job 37:11–13
I love these verses and especially that last verse. But the setup is Elihu is talking here about the rain and how the rain doesn’t just fall naturally. It falls supernaturally. Whenever you see rain… I just think some people listening to this today are going to see rain. Whenever you see rain, know it’s God who has loaded thick clouds with moisture. This is not just happening naturally. Yes, we have natural explanations for how God does this, but He’s loading these clouds with moisture. He’s scattering His lightning. And these clouds are turning around and around by His guidance. Just picture it. God is guiding all the clouds to accomplish all that He commands them. The clouds, the rain, they’re just doing what God has commanded them to do.
So just that in and of itself, to have a God-centered perspective, a God-glorifying perspective of the rain.
Job 37:11–13 teaches us that God accomplishes different purposes in our suffering.
And then you get to verse 13 and Elihu says, “Whether for correction or for His land or for love, He causes it to happen.” So why does God send the rain? Well, He has different purposes at different times. Sometimes God does this for correction. Or God does this just to water His land. Sometimes God does this to show His love in a particular way.
The whole point is, when we walk through different circumstances in our lives, God often has varied purposes. And specifically when we walk through suffering, sometimes God is drawing us away from sin. There are times when we suffer as a result of our sin, and God is correcting us as we experience the consequences of sin. He’s drawing us back to Himself by showing where sin leads.
Or other times, as Job is experienced here, he’s suffering not as a result of specific sin in his life. God has other purposes He’s accomplishing through suffering. That’s been part of the challenge. Up to this point in the book of Job, is Job’s friends just having simplistic answers for suffering in the world, saying, “Well, if you suffered, it must be because you’ve done wrong,” when that’s not true.
Job 37:11–13 reminds us that God is sufficient for our trials.
All that to say, when you walk through suffering or any circumstance for that matter, be open to whatever God wants to accomplish through those circumstances and specifically through that suffering. Yes, ask the question, is there sin in me that has led to these consequences? Or even if not, knowing that suffering is a product of sin in the world, let suffering lead you to hate sin all the more in any facet of your life or in the world around us to hate evil all the more.
And then to press in to experience what 2 Corinthians 1 describes as God’s comfort in the middle of suffering. So that 2 Corinthians 1 says, “You can be a comfort to others. Here’s a purpose that God is accomplishing in our affliction. He comforts us that we might be comforters for others.” Or as we alluded to in 2 Corinthians 12, God uses thorns in the flesh to lead us to trust in the sufficiency of His grace and His strength and our weakness. Just say to God. Well, let’s pray it right now.
God, amidst whatever circumstances we’re walking through right now today, if there’s suffering we’re walking through, or if we’re walking through good days, God, we pray that you would help us to be in tune with the purposes that you are wanting to accomplish in our lives. That you would use whatever we’re walking through today to lead us to hate sin more, to love righteousness, lead us to trust you more, to lead us to grow in our understanding of your mercy and comfort and grace.
This verse encourages us to trust God’s sovereignty in our lives.
God, to lead us to strength that is found in you alone, peace that is found in you alone no matter what this world brings us. God, we pray, accomplish all of your good and varied purposes in our lives, through our lives. As we walk through circumstances today, whether good or hard circumstances, God, we pray you’d help us to not just trust in you, but to point others to you amidst whatever circumstances we’re walking through. To point others to you and your good purposes.
Oh God, we praise you as the author of the rain and the way you bring it for so many good purposes. We trust that you are working in our lives in the same way. And oh God, knowing that our ultimate purpose in this world is to bring you glory among all the nations, wherever we live, to wherever you might lead us.
Prayer for the Sindhi People
We pray you’d help us to accomplish your purpose even now as we pray for the Sindhi people of India and Pakistan and even spread out in places like Belize, Central America. God, we pray right now for the Sindhi people… This Muslim people group of 180,000 with no known followers of Jesus. God, we intercede for them. We pray that you would cause the good news of your grace in Jesus to spread to the Sindhi people. Hear our prayer, oh God, an answer for your glory among the Sindhi people. God, help us to live for this purpose no matter what this life brings us. Help us glorify your name for where we live to the ends of the earth. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
