Melissa Small supports her husband, Rusty, in his ministry as a pastor at Liberty Baptist Church while raising her 2 boys, James and Thomas. She also serves as the women’s ministry leader and on the worship team at her church. She has a passion for women growing deeper in their knowledge of God’s Word and fostering a supportive Christian community among women. A doctorate in Education and Christian Leadership aids in accomplishing these goals through teaching, mentoring, and Bible study.
Following a plan to read through the Bible in a year, I landed in the book of Job while traveling to Egypt with our church. I was initially disappointed that the plan divided the book of Genesis, inserting Job in order to maintain the believed chronology of events. I almost switched plans to track with Moses and the Israelites—especially knowing we would be floating the Nile River, putting our feet in the Red Sea where God parted the waters, and climbing Mount Sinai where God spoke to Moses and gave him the Commandments as a foundation for living for God. But because nearly 100 others were reading along with the plan in the Bible app, I decided to stick with it.
God makes no mistakes, and His Word never returns void. Rather than simply creating more vivid pictures in my mind of stories I already knew well, I was able to experience God, our Sovereign Creator, who spoke to Job in such a personal and transparent way—revealing the power and detail of the God who spoke all things into being and who still holds everything in place.
Seeing the incredibly massive and unbelievably preserved structures of Egypt made the words of God to Job in a whirlwind even more powerful. To know that God created man with the ability to design such mysteriously and wonderfully engineered works only deepened my awe for the God we worship. The Egyptians worshiped gods they impressively created, but we worship the God who impressively made mankind capable of so much—yet we still cannot begin to grasp the vastness of His creation.
God asks the following questions, among many others, in Job 38–39:
- Who fixed the dimensions of the earth?
- What supports its (the earth’s) foundations?
- Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst from the womb?
- Who clears the way for lightning?
- Can you loosen the belt of Orion?
- Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
- Do you know when mountain goats give birth?
- Do you give strength to the horse?
These questions direct our finite minds to a deeper understanding of our lack of wisdom, comprehension, control, power, sovereignty, and omniscience. Job gave an appropriate response, “I know that you can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted. Surely, I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wondrous for me to know.” (Job 42:2,3). God is unmatched.
Kingdoms will attempt to rise, but they will all fall, and any strength or power they attain is allowed by God and God alone. Experiencing the greatness of the Egyptian dynasty—alongside the reality that it is now history—drove home the greatness of God. Pharaoh is believed to come from several meanings, including the name Ra, the god of the sun—but our God created the sun and everything around it.
No Pharaoh, king, or leader has come close to, or will ever last like the God who is eternal—who always has been, is now, and always will be. We can stand in awe, and we can trust His ways. The world is shifting and unsteady. There is evil and sickness beyond our control. But peace comes from putting our trust in God, regardless of circumstances.
When we look in awe at the creation around us, we see that He is the One who holds all power and the best plan for our lives. In all human greatness, there is none greater—because any greatness that exists has been created and allowed by God, the greatest One who sustains all things and alone allows or prevents them.
May He be worshiped as the God of heaven, with all praise, glory and honor due Him!
