Beyond our reach?

Soooo.....yesterday my reading was interrupted by a family issue, which I addressed only grudgingly.  And I'm not proud of that.  Then, I got sucked into the vortex of a reality TV marathon.  Yeah, not proud of that either.  It's sort of a combination of bubblegum for the mind and crack cocaine.

As I mentioned before, I have been reading Elihu's rant with some frustration.  There is a lot of truth in what he says.  It is not until the end of the monologue that I can easily identify a problem:  In Job 37:23 Elihu says, "The Almighty -- we cannot find Him." (NIV says He is "beyond our reach.")  Elihu seems to know a lot about God but doesn't know Him personally as Job does.  In fact, it is a basic principle of scripture that we will find God if we seek Him.  Consider the following:

• Jer.29:13  "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Now, one could argue that this verse refers to a specific audience for a specific period in time, and that is true.  It was written to the nation of Israel referring to the end of the Babylonian captivity.  But it still refers to a general principle that is repeated in other scriptures.
• Matt.7:7-8  "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
• Prov.8:17  "I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me."
• Acts 17:26-27  "From one man [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. [He] did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."

It is the last reference that I love the most.  In contrast to the first one, which is for a specific people and a specific point in time, the last one is universal and timeless:  for every nation of men, in the times set for them.  God has ordained that each of us live in a specific time and place so that we would seek Him. He places us in the exact circumstances of time and place that cause us to seek Him. And, when we reach out for Him, He is not far from us. 

As you read Job 38-39, give thanks and praise that the God who laid the foundations of the world, who keeps the oceans within their defined boundaries, and who causes the sun to rise in the morning has also defined a time and place for you that has caused you to reach out to Him and find Him.