“As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number.”
(Job 5:8-9)
The greatest pursuit of the believer’s life is not wealth, health, influence, or success… but to know the Source of life itself. A holy pursuit of God is the highest aim of man, for only the Creator God remains when everything temporal fails and fades away. Job’s words in today’s passage should therefore be the cry of every soul that has experienced life’s many afflictions and determined that there is only one recourse: “I would seek God.”
The God who does great and unsearchable things cannot found by the indifferent. He hides Himself from the proud, but reveals Himself to the humble. His wonders are not scattered like crumbs before the careless but are unveiled to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, to those who seek His face with diligence and reverence.
Psalm 105:4 commands, “Seek the Lord, and His strength: seek His face evermore.” Hebrews 4:16 invites the believer to come boldly before the throne of grace. The Creator of heaven and earth, the One who does marvelous things without number, bids us come. And when we do, He meets the weary and strengthens those who are weak. He upholds those who call upon Him in truth.
God’s people are never promised ease. But they are promised nearness. They are promised support. “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble” (Ps. 91:15). When those inevitable difficulties come, the Christian who seeks God will discover Him faithful.
We should remember that God’s afflicting providences are intended to cause us to seek Him more earnestly, for the unsearchable things of God are learned in prayer. The marvelous things are discovered in worship. The treasures of heaven are opened to those who flee to the sanctuary of His presence and rest beneath the shadow of the Almighty.
David declared, “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me” (Ps. 57:2). That is the Christian’s confidence. God’s providence is perfect, His power unlimited, and His compassion constant.
So may this word from Thomas Manton be true of us: “When all things go well with him, God is his best friend; and when all things go ill with him, God is his only friend; he runs to none so often as to God.”[1]
Contemplation:
- The marvel of God’s strength. I’ve experienced moments where every tangible support failed… people, plans, and my own strength. Yet I found You, Lord, to be faithful. When I was too weak to stand, You held me. When I was too weary to pray, You listened to my groaning. You have shown me Your marvelous power again and again in my darkest hours.
- Seeking God first. My first instinct in trouble is often to find a solution, to control the outcome, or to escape altogether. I run to distractions instead of to the throne. But You call me to seek You. Not after I’ve exhausted every other way, but first. And not only in trouble, but in all things. Seeking You must be my default response to life itself, moment by moment.
- A heart of prayer. I know I’m prone to forget prayer when things go well. But how foolish that is. Prayer is not a life raft in times of crisis, it is my invitation to spend time with my Lord, my Father. I need to pray not only when I lack, but when I’m full. Not just in pain, but in peace. I want to live before You in a spirit of reverent dependence continually.
- The unsearchable ways. I’ve tried to understand all You are doing, Lord, but there is so much I cannot see. Your ways are unsearchable. Your works are without number. But I’m thankful that even when I don’t understand, I can still trust You because I know You. You are good, and You do good. And that is enough.
Prayer (Adoration):
Lord God Almighty, You are marvelous in all Your ways. There is no searching of Your understanding, no counting of Your works, no limit to Your wonders. You do great things—unsearchable, innumerable, and all glorious. You reign in wisdom, You govern in holiness, You act in mercy, and You never fail.
I lift my heart in worship to You, for You are the fountain of all life, the sustainer of all being, the one who speaks and it is done. Your throne is eternal and Your purposes are sure.
You are the God who parts seas, who raises the dead, who feeds the hungry, who humbles the proud. You speak, and creation bends. You whisper, and demons flee. You command, and the earth obeys. Yet You are near to the brokenhearted and stoop low to the contrite.
I adore You for the marvels of Your providence, that not one event in history or moment in my life lies outside Your sovereign hand. I adore You for the greatness of Your mercy, that though I deserve wrath, You give grace. I adore You for the majesty of Your person, infinitely beyond comprehension yet intimately present with Your people.
You do marvelous things. Not only in Your world but also in me. You changed my heart. You sustain my soul. You have borne me up when I had no strength. You have answered when I called. You have preserved me through every dark valley, every storm, every silence.
You are marvelous in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders. You redeemed me through Your Son. You filled me with Your Spirit and made me Your own. I was lost and You found me. I was dead and You raised me up to new life. I was blind but You made me see.
You are unsearchable in wisdom, but knowable in Christ. You are exalted above all, but near to those who seek You. You do not change. You do not lie. And You do not fail. You are my God, and I will exalt You.
Make my life a song of praise. Let every moment rise in adoration to the One who does all things well. Keep my eyes fixed on You. Let me marvel daily at Your goodness, and never grow dull to the wonder of who You are.
I worship You, God of marvelous things.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Job 5:8–9:
Job 9:10, 37:5; Ps. 40:5; Job 11:7; Isa. 40:28; Rom. 11:33.
[1] Thomas Manton, An Exposition of the One Hundred and Nineteenth Psalm, vol. 1, in The Complete Works of Thomas Manton, James Nisbet & Co., 1870, p. 30.
