From Job, "Ready to shut up and listen"

I was arguing with a friend, who is a realist, about God and His existence. We couldn’t agree on anything. I wanted him to understand that what I’m telling him is the truth. And, I guess, he also wanted me to understand his truth. . . . But we’re friends. LOL. I love this person and I always have fun talking to him –even though we don’t share the same views. I just got frustrated because we used to have the same beliefs before so I wanted to pull him back on my side. And it bothered me that he always have a counterargument ready to whatever I tell him. We talked about creation, evolution, and God’s ways. I know he has read more than I do. He knows a lot more than I do. It was foolish of me to try to convince him. God told me to stop. *laughs* Yes, He did.

I know that God does not want us to blindly follow Him. If He did, then I wouldn’t be thinking now and saying these things. So whatever questions I have I will bring them to God. He said in Isaiah, "Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out.", Or, in another version, He said "Come now, let us reason together." It feels good to know that God is willing to slow down for me, sit down with me and help me understand things. =)

So, going back to my friend's argument, the theory that this world was born out of nothingness or an infinite set of universes beyond and before. But why are there natural laws? Laws that everything in this world follow? Is that really possible without a creator? Can things be set in motion without a first mover? In this world that operates like clockwork, can those laws really just be there without anyone setting them? Why am I born? Why is every person born? Why haven’t anyone came to being from another method? Am I to believe that humans came from lifeless matter and came to life through natural causes? What could have breathe life to the very first human if it’s not God? And then, if there’s no Creator, after the first man came to being, why then does everyone else has to be born out of a mother's womb? Why can't others come to being like that first human? I can’t comprehend it.

And then, I was also asked about Evolution. Sure, I don’t know the complete data about it. But if we have a common ancestor as with apes, then why are we the only advanced species that stemmed out of that ancestor? Well, I believe we have the same creator as with the apes, so I wouldn’t wonder if some of their attributes are similar to ours. Just like the masterpieces of an artist, won't his works have similarities to each other? ...But then, going back to Evolution, why are we the only ones who have advanced in reasoning? Why haven’t other species caught up yet? I mean, some of them have been here longer than us, right? There’s got to be something different with humans. Something superior. Why do we search for meaning and purpose for being alive? I don’t think we can create our existence’s meaning ourselves. For one, we did not create ourselves; we were born into this world.

And lastly, on morality. My friend said, “This is an angry, immature, volatile, and spiteful God you worship…. The Bible is contradicting and pre-scientific. Take Lot's story for instance. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. All of the people there. Do you know that towns usually have babies and children? Why didn't God save them?” It hurt me to hear him say those things. Neither do I know why He let them die there. I was at a loss for words.

I was so frustrated….. I wanted to wrestle with God just like Jacob –-I don’t want to let Him go until He gives me answers. And, like Job, I wondered why bad things happen to innocent people. I have been reading Job’s story in the Bible for a few days now. Another friend lend me a book, which inspired me to read the story. Job was a man totally devoted to God. And God had blessed him so and He was very proud of Job --even referred to Job as His friend. But one day Satan asked God ""Does Job fear [revere] God for nothing?". So the Lord allowed the devil to take away Job's wealth, his family, and status in society. And he suffered from terrible boils throughout his body too. He kept importuning God for answers, but He was silent. Only right at the end did God finally spoke to him. (It's better, I guess, if you read the whole story so you'd understand why God did not answer Job right away but waited.)

Job cried,
“…why are we kept in the dark?
There are people out there getting by with murder—
stealing and lying and cheating….
…. People are dying right and left, groaning in torment.
The wretched cry out for help
and God does nothing, acts like nothing's wrong!”

But then, who are we to question God. He rebuked me and showed me how foolish I was to try and explain His being to another person. I cannot. Job said “Why do you always take [God’s] side? Do you think He needs a lawyer to defend Himself?” I felt so embarrassed. God is God. It’s not for me to justify His actions. Should a creation be equal its creator? . . . . . Sometimes, I’m afraid of knowledge. Sometimes, when people have read and learned too much they can become arrogant and cocky, can’t they? It gets harder to believe in God... How does one teach humility to someone who knows so much already. I guess, only God knows. *laughs*

When God finally answered Job, He said

“I have some questions for you,
and I want some straight answers.
Where were you when I created the earth?
Tell me, since you know so much!
Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that!
Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?”

"Do you presume to tell me what I'm doing wrong?
Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint?
Do you have an arm like my arm?
Can you shout in thunder the way I can?”

And in Isaiah too, God said,

"I don't think the way you think.
The way you work isn't the way I work.
For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think."


I know it’s wrong to stay ignorant. We have to grow, we have to mature –we can’t stay as babies forever. To mature in body, mind, and spirit. But I won’t be too cocky to believe I can ever understand God completely. But I'm glad to have asked those questions. I realized I don’t know much of God’s word and how much I thirst for it. So I guess, arguing with my friend wasn’t so bad. And hey, we’re good friends until now. LOL.

p.s. the Bible's version I used is the Message =)