words without knowledge

Oh boy, did I cringe during my Bible reading time this morning. I got to the part of Job where God finally speaks, and his words to Job seemed aimed right at me. 

Here it is, from Job 38:1-3: “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: ‘Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’”

Oh, man! I instantly thought of a dozen conversations about church budget, certain services, the work of our council, the state of our denomination. I recalled frustrations I’ve vented about presidential candidates and current issues, and the intolerant language I used. I even began to wonder about some of the things I may have said from the pulpit.

How much of that was words without knowledge? How often did I speak only from the vantage point of my own experience and feelings, without trying to understand all the complexities of the situation? How can I really claim to know what’s right for all the young moms, the single men and women, the senior citizens, and the special needs people in our congregation? What do I really know about foreign policy or what happened in Benghazi or how it feels to be someone who’s confused about his or her identity?

These reflections challenge me to go back to wise words from Steven Covey, who said, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” This reminds me that others will believe my words, when in fact they are only my own sometimes ill-informed opinions. I want to be the person who works past the sound bites and social media furor and tries to know and speak the truth.

It’s hard to keep my mouth shut if I haven’t done that. It’s hard not to form opinions as soon as I hear the sound bite. But especially when speaking of the things of God, it’s potentially dangerous and destructive not to, because then, to use God’s own words, I risk obscuring his plans to those who listen.

To keep spouting off as I have is to invite God to say to me as he did to Job, “Brace yourself; I will question you and you will have to answer me.” What a frightening thought!