Pastor Chris and the Minnesota Bugs

This weekend my family and I will be heading up to northern Minnesota to spend some time with Gina's brother and his family. As we were planning this trip my only requests were that we go to a place with cooler weather (we went to the Oregon coast last year) and minimal bugs. Well, I think I got one of my requests filled.

I am not a fan of bugs at all. Growing up in Oregon didn't help as there are very few bugs in the northwest, especially compared to Minnesota. I wonder if I will have to put ankle weights on my kids to keep them from being carried away by the "bird-sized" mosquitoes we will encounter in the boundary waters.

If I could pick up the phone and ask God a few questions I would certainly ask him about the need for bugs. Are mosquitoes and ticks really essential to the web of life on this planet? What role do they serve? What is their purpose?

Bugs are trivial but don't we find ourselves asking God those "what is the purpose" questions on more than one occasion?

Job was in such a situation and his questions dealt with issues much more severe than pesky bugs. Job had lost everything, his wealth and family were gone and his body was covered in sores. His "friends" encouraged him to give up his faith and die. After multiple conversations between Job, his friends and others God finally speaks and his words are shocking.

"Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?"

God continues to challenge Job for another 65+ verses, squarely putting Job in his place and reminding him who his in control.

There are many things in the world that don't make sense and probably never will, but who are we to question God? We may not be in the same situation as Job or lay awake at night wondering about bugs, but we all at one time or another question the way things are and, in our arrogance, think we have better insights. Once in a while we need to be put in our place, to be reminded who is in control and through experiences like that we can grow in our faith and trust in God.