A number of years ago, I found myself booking accomplished Christian bands for a major concert event. This is quite the process, as you have to go through the band’s agents, managers, etc. Part of the process is meeting all of the stipulations in their “rider.” Put bluntly, a rider is a list of all the artist’s demands in addition to payment. It includes all the equipment that must be provided (mics, speakers, stage, lighting etc.), often stating the exact makes and models. It can also get well… really specific. Many artists have long list of all the snacks that must be provided in their dressing room (typically 20 items long or longer), in addition to furniture needs, entertainment needs, etc. As I went through page after page of these “requests,” I found myself saying “who do you think you are!” Now, to be fair, most Christian artists I’ve worked with are really awesome and chill, and their list of requests are often put together by their managers to make them look important. They certainly pale in compasión to some secular artists, who request things like bowls of only one color of M&Ms and a room solely to charge their phone. I share this all to get us thinking: who do you think you are? Do we think we are more important than others? Do we believe we deserve certain treatment? Do we actually think we deserve less than others? Who do you think you are?
In the Book of Job the titular character, Job, finally breaks down and complains to God after losing basically everything. I want you to look at how God responds:
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? Job 38:1-5
God actually goes on like this for two whole chapters, basically saying: Job, who do you think you are? God demonstrates that it was He, not Job, that created the heavens and the earth. It is He who knows perfectly right from and wrong. Instead of looking for answers in his own mind, or those of his friends, God is saying Job needs to be turning to God and God alone. This is a point we miss far too often, especially as 21st century men. We’ve been taught to be tough, to go it alone, to listen to social media, etc. We too often forget that the only one worth listening to and following is God. Why? Well, because only God created the world. Only God is perfect. Only God saved us. Who do you think you are? I hope it is that you are a child of God, a child willing to listen to, obey, and follow His loving and merciful Father.
