Peace in God's Consistency

In this series, we are looking at the topic of peace through God's self-descriptions in Job 38.

This week we come to verses 12 & 13, which say,

12 Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place,
13 that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,
and the wicked be shaken out of it?
Job 38:12-13 ESV

More Reliable than a Sunrise

Last week, I mentioned the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the deadliest tsunami on record. How deadly? Over 200,000 people died among 14 different countries.

I remember shortly after the tsunami having a conversation with a young adult who was struggling with his faith, and the tsunami was wrecking his faith even further. "How could a good God allow something like that?!?!" was the angry question rattling around his brain and tumbling out of his lips.

I remember answering, "I don't know why God would allow that to happen. But if you are going to blame God for the tsunami, then you also have to give Him credit for all the days without tsunamis. If you want Him to get the credit for the devastating things, then you are going to also have to give Him credit for all the great things as well."

Tsunamis, tornados, hurricanes, and droughts can be awful. Yet, you are far more likely to experience a sunrise than a devastating geological event. An earthquake is an every-once-in-a-while type event. Yet like clockwork, everyday the sun comes up in the east, travels across the sky, and settles in the west in the evening.

As you saw in verses 12 & 13 of Job 38, God takes credit for the daily sunrise and sunset. Since God created the earth and began its spin around its axis, God has consistently made sure the sun rises and sets each day for all of humanity.

I suspect you are a bit like me and are more prone to trust people who display consistency than people who are erratic. One of the definitions for the word integrity is "internal consistency." God is full of integrity. He is consistent - far more consistent than any human could ever hope to be.

Because He is more reliable than even the sunrise, He can be trusted. And my hope is that this trust in God's integrity will fill you with peace. Because you know the sun will still rise tomorrow, you can emotionally and spiritually rest. You can set aside your worry, knowing God's consistency means He will still be on His heavenly throne when this pandemic has ended.