Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? (Job 38:4)
THE WRITING OF MY DISSERTATION was a long, arduous journey. At different points of this journey, I was expected to make contact with my dissertation promoter. His role was to give guidance and advice. A month before I was to finish, my promoter phoned and said that he wanted to see me. I kept my voice sounding light and natural, but my heart began to pound like crazy. I wondered why he wanted to see me. Was he going to tell me that my work was not good enough to be submitted?
When we met, Dr. Van Wyk said, “Jim, I want to give you one last piece of advice. We share this with all our students who have nearly completed their work. You need to remember that a doctor’s degree does not mean you know it all. Instead, it should cause you to be humble. What you should have learned as you were doing your research and writing is that there is still so much more that you do not know.”
Sometimes I find myself telling God how I think something should be done or catch myself thinking that He doesn’t quite understand a situation. God then reminds me, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? There is still so much you do not know! Trust Me!”
Recognize how little you know and put your trust in your all-knowing God.
Jim Lo is the author of Connect with God: The Purpose of Prayer (Wesleyan Publishing House) and the dean of chapel at Indiana Wesleyan University.
