In the Bible, the book of Job portrays a man, Job, who gets robbed of everything by the Devil. Everything human beings consider to be good and deserving gets taken away by the Devil.

As Job lay in bed suffering, his friends visit. The older friends start psychobabbling as to why Job is in his predicament. Job argues with them. It reminds me of when I think about God from a human standpoint, I wonder how God could be better than human beings. I ask God how I can be better. I ask a lot of questions.

But in the Bible, their chatter gets them nowhere so the younger friend, Elihu, finally pipes up with a different approach.

Among other questions, Elihu asked: Do you know how Go controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? (Jer. 27:15, NIV)

Job and the friends didn’t answer, but I answered for myself: “no, no I don’t know how God controls.”

Basically I finally admitted, my human knowledge has its limits. It takes a mental effort to turn away from the human knowledge and be open to spiritual knowledge.

It’s no wonder that after Elihu spoke, the thoughts in the room made a shift. The friends became quiet and Job began conversing with God.

We read in the Bible, “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: ^{2 ‘}Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? ³ Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’” Job 38:1-3

Even my human concept of the word control isn’t the same as what Spirit knows. I think of human parents controlling their children, but that can go awry. Parents can become abusive or lose control. I think of democratic laws controlling the people, but that still too can present a battle of the wills as though conflicting elements control us.

Spiritual knowledge removes the conflicting element from control.

God isn’t a heavy-handed being. God doesn’t have laws in place that punish us when we break them. God is Spirit, an irresistible influence that attracts our every thought and action. If it looks as though we stray from God’s control, we are using human knowledge to see with.

Spiritual knowledge knows one. One truth, one life, one outcome.

Job’s life was restored to him in abundance.