In the midst of a vast and boundless ocean, a seasoned sailor stands on the deck of his ship, gazing out at the endless expanse of water. He has weathered many storms, memorized the constellations as guides, and understood the direction of the winds.

Yet, in the vastness of the ocean, he remains small and helpless. Every big wave that comes reminds him that, no matter how hard he tries to control his course, he must ultimately surrender to the currents that are greater than himself. That is how man is before God.

Job 9:1-10 reflects the feelings of a man who realizes how great and unreachable God is.In his suffering, Job does not lose his respect and awe for God. He says, “God is wise and mighty in every way; who can rise up against him and be safe?” (verse 4).

He acknowledges that the God who created the constellations, who controls the sun and the earth, who performs countless miracles, is a God too great for man to comprehend. Everything Job says is not meant to doubt the existence or greatness of God. Rather, it is an attempt to acknowledge his human limitations in understanding God’s will. He asks, “How can a man be righteous before God?” (verse 2). Job realizes that man cannot argue with God or demand answers for everything that happens in his life.

Job sees how God can move mountains without anyone knowing, shift the earth from its place, and set the stars and their constellations (verses 5-9). All of this is a reminder to us that humans are only a small part of a vast creation, and we must be humble in the face of God’s greatness.

Bible friends, do we realize that as humans, we often feel like we want to understand everything? Want to know the reasons behind suffering and make sure that our lives are going according to plan? We feel like sailors trying to control the direction in the middle of a vast ocean. But, in the end, we must admit that not everything is in our control.

It takes a willingness to surrender to God who understands our entire journey, even though we don’t see the end. There is a mystery in God’s plan that we cannot always understand. Like Job, we may be going through great suffering, facing situations we don’t understand, and feeling as if God is far away from us. Yet we must trust that behind the mysteries of life, God is at work. “He does great things that cannot be searched out, and wonders that cannot be counted” (v. 10).