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This week we focus on the Lenten theme of humility.

Words of Reflection

One of the most striking images of humility in Scripture comes towards the end of the book of Job following God’s reply to Job’s protestations. Job, who has lost everything, has come before God with some pretty direct accusations about all of his pain and heartache.

To put it simply: Job tells God he’s doing a lousy job being the sovereign Lord of all creation. After Job lays this accusation at God’s feet, the Lord himself speaks to Job out of a whirlwind and reminds him that it’s not possible for a mortal man to fully comprehend the ways of the divine. God does this through a series of penetrating rhetorical questions, such as:

“Where were you when I Iaid the foundations of the earth?” (38:4).
“Have you ever in your days commanded the morning light?” (38:12).
“Where does light live, or where does darkness reside?” (38:19).
“Can you lead out a constellation in its season?” (38:32).

God poses seventy-seven questions like this to Job, all designed to remind the mortal man that he is just that: mortal. Temporal. Limited in his perspective. It reminds me of a great line from the movie “Rudy,” where a priest tells the main character:

“Son, in thirty-five years of religious study, I've come up with only two hard, incontrovertible facts: there is a God, and, I'm not him.”

When Job comes face-to-face with the limits of his understanding, when he accepts that there is a God and it’s not him, it’s here that we find a powerful image of humility:

“Then Job answered the Lord: ‘I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more.’”—Job 40:3-5 (NIV)

Sometimes humility is expressed entirely in a wordless quiet. Job puts his hand over his mouth and declares that he has spoken out of turn, and will therefore speak no more. When we are granted a glimpse of who God really is, at first our lips fall silent. They will eventually turn to praise, but not before they still themselves before the One whom words can’t describe.

If you are wrestling with some big things right now, or if you are feeling overwhelmed, or if you are struggling to put your ego and pride in check, maybe there’s some wisdom in taking a page out of Job’s story.

Maybe we all need to place our hands over our mouths.

Scripture for Meditation:

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall never be shaken.
—Psalm 62:1-2 (NRSV)

Song: In The Silence

In the silence of the heart you speak,
And your mercy is the air I breathe.
You come to me in whispers
And forgiveness sings.
In the silence of the heart you speak;
Lord, you speak.
To the quiet of this room you come;
I am captivated by this love.
You light these darkened corners,
And I'm overcome.
To the quiet of this room you come;
Lord, you come.
Silence, fall; oh I am listening.
I am listening; sing to me.
Spirit, fall; oh please stay with me.
I am listening now;
I am listening now.
In the stillness of my soul you know;
You are hope that will not let me go.
You are the voice I follow;
You lead me home.
In the stillness of my soul you know;
Lord, you know.
In the silence

Questions for Contemplation:

There are no questions for contemplation today. Today you are encouraged to sit in silence before the Lord. We do so with no agenda other than to be present to the One who knows us best and loves us most. When you feel you have spent sufficient time in silence, you might wish to journal about what you sensed about God, his love for you, and his call on your life in that time of waiting before him.