Look Around and Be Humble Before God

We all suffer, yet, as Karlton points out, sometimes we just need to look around to remember God’s glory and power.

“Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders. (Job 37:14)

It amazes me that after all Job endured, all that he suffered, the Lord basically told Job: “Look around you.” Yet that may be the best advice for someone who is suffering affliction. We can get so drawn into ourselves, our world can become so insular, that we fail to see the many wonderful things around us.

Job, understandably, spent much time complaining, considering only the terrible suffering he was enduring. He never looked beyond the reach of his afflicted body, and terrible things he suffered. When God stepped into Job’s field of vision, Job’s entire perspective changed. For the first time he began to look around and he saw things from God’s perspective, within the field of vision encompassing the entire creation.

We are surrounded by God’s beauty. From the blue skies above to the intricate insects at our feet. God’s creation can fill us with wonder and amazement. We are humbled by the wisdom of God’s handiwork. Do you know that there are worms in Alaska that live within sheets of ice? These small creatures live where no human can survive. Yet if the temperature around them rises to just 40 degrees Fahrenheit they melt away. And that is just one of God’s mysterious creations.

I know that some people are so disabled that it is difficult for them to leave their homes. Yet if we “look around” we can find wonderful documentaries available and even the birds singing outside our window. They can lift our spirits and make us think about the God who made us and all living things. For those who are more mobile there is an entire world of beauty to explore and enjoy.

Yet there is more than God’s outdoors. If we look around, we may find that we are surrounded by kind and loving people, family and friends. It would be a shame to get so caught up in our suffering and problems that we fail to appreciate those wonderful people that God has placed in our lives and that God brings us into contact with.

Suffering brings loneliness and isolation to many who are afflicted, but I think in many cases we can break out of that prison of isolated affliction by doing what Job did, look up, look around, take in the blessings of God’s creation and consider your fellow human beings. We are not alone in this world, we have an entire world around us and we are part of God’s creation and plan.

When you feel alone and isolated by your affliction look up– to God! Look around at all He has made. Enjoy His creation, and fellowship with His creatures and your friends and family. Do as Job did, consider, consider everything and everyone around you. God made you and He made it all.

Prayer: Dear Lord, our afflictions can make us myopic, can cause us to fail to appreciate all that You do and all You have already done. Help us to look around, to look beyond ourselves, beyond our afflictions, and see Your handiwork all around us. Amen.

About the Author:
Karlton Douglas lives in Ohio with his lovely wife. God’s creation and the wonderful people in his life are a continual blessing.

Are you encouraged by God’s creation? What happens to your outlook when you truly look around? Do you feel less lonely when you consider the world and people around you?

Need a bit of a nudge to look around? This song, Walk on Water by Britt Nicole is a beauty.