Job: Finding Peace On An Unpredictable Path | God Is In Control (Job 13:20-14:1)

Do you feel like you are in complete control of everything? Or does your life sometimes feel out of control? And if we aren’t in control, who is? When we come to the realization that we aren’t in control, it becomes very important how we answer the question of who or what our God really is. Is our God in control? Is He able to control our lives? Do we worship Him only to get good things from Him and get Him to do what we want Him to do? Or is He the true God who uses his control over all things to love us and save us from the real reason for our brokenness? Let’s find the answer this week in Job.

Transcript

Have you ever heard of the game “desert island movies?” It’s a simple icebreaker where people ask each other “If you were on a deserted island with access to a TV (a highly unrealistic scenario, I know) and you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would you pick?” For me, it would be Gladiator. It doesn’t matter what mood I’m in, I could always watch it. When I first saw it in high school, I became obsessed with learning everything about the Roman military. And one of the most fascinating things I discovered was how Rome celebrated a victory. They called it a “triumph.” A “triumph” was this spectacular military parade where the conquering general would be led into Rome on a chariot with his soldiers following behind and the defeated opponent in chains. But there was one element of the parade that always intrigued me: next to the general, on the chariot, was a slave called the auriga. The auriga’s job? Whispering in the general’s ear the entire time: Momento mori—“Remember, you are mortal.” As annoying as that probably was, the purpose was clear: to remind the general that no matter his victory, he was still human. The Romans knew the dangers of pride, how it blinds, hardens, and turns us inward. The Bible goes even further—it calls us not just to remember that we are mortal, but to admit that without God, we are nothing. That's where repentance begins. Repentance is the heartbeat of the Christian life. And as we look at Job today, we’ll see that life can only be fully understood when we recognize our nothingness and turn to God and his grace as our everything. Repentance is about surrendering control, acknowledging our weakness, and looking to God as our strength.

Now, let’s pause for a second. What I just said is radically countercultural. It feels offensive, doesn’t it? I don’t know about you, but when I hear someone say, ‘You need to repent and admit your weakness,’ my immediate reaction isn’t always positive. It's hard. We live in a world that tells us we need to be strong, in control, and constantly striving for self-esteem. Carl Trueman observes that “we live in a world where personal identity is increasingly tied to a sense of personal affirmation and the feeling of being 'good enough.' This often leads us to avoid tough truths, uncomfortable critiques, and deeper self-reflection.” I saw this mindset on display during my flight back from Grenada. The in-flight entertainment offered free TV shows, and I tapped on an episode of Ted Lasso. At one point, Ted tells a basketball player he’s coaching, “You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It’s a goldfish. You know why? It’s got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish.” The message was clear: don’t dwell on your mistakes—move on quickly. This sentiment captures a broader societal trend: we avoid uncomfortable introspection, especially when it comes to our failures and sins. In a world so focused on protecting self-esteem, the idea of a life of repentance feels not only counterintuitive but almost harmful to our emotional well-being. But here’s the thing: repentance has always been radical. It asks us to admit we have so little control, that by nature we are “dust and ashes.” It calls us to daily examine our lives, not to tear ourselves down, but to see where we’ve fallen short so we can turn back to the God who lifts us up. Why? Because real peace and stability don’t come from control—they come from repentance. And that’s what Job shows us. 

As Job processes his immense suffering, he admits his nothingness, “How many wrongs and sins have I committed? Show me my offense and my sin. For you write down bitter things against me and make me reap the sins of my youth…So man wastes away like something rotten, like a garment eaten by moths. Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble.” Don’t these verses make you uncomfortable? There’s a part of us that wants to jump in and say, “Come on, Job, cheer up! Don’t be so hard on yourself!” But here’s the truth: what Job is doing is critical to his healing.

Job is showing us the first part of the repentant life: Recognition. He’s recognizing his sin and his human frailty, his nothingness. And that’s exactly where we need to start too. Like Job, we often feel like we're losing control, especially in moments of suffering. Job's journey reminds us that true healing begins when we stop trying to manage everything ourselves and start admitting our need for God. We need to face the uncomfortable truth of how little control we really have. But more than that, we need to be honest about our sins. Why do we try so hard to avoid confronting our sins? Because we think confessing them threatens the security we’ve built for ourselves. But the more we avoid facing our sin, the more control it has over us. Tim Keller puts it well: “The ego is so busy. So busy all the time.” And why is that? Because when we refuse to face our sin, we become preoccupied with managing it, shaping our lives around it, and trying to justify ourselves. That’s why repentance is so necessary. It breaks that cycle, allowing us to be honest with God and receive the healing only He can offer. But repentance doesn’t stop with recognizing our sin. We don’t stay stuck in the dust. Once we see our sin for what it is, we are ready to experience the incredible depths of God’s grace.

Job didn’t stay in his sorrow. He recognized his sin and his nothingness, but he also cried out to God. Despite his suffering, despite feeling like God had locked him in misery, he remembered God’s promises. Through examining himself and seeing his frailty, he knew there was only one person to turn to: the LORD. Here’s the key: when we see our sin for what it is, we begin to understand just how precious God’s promises truly are. They’re not self-esteem boosters or feel-good mantras—they are our lifeline. It’s only when we confront the depth of our sin that we can truly treasure the depth of God’s grace. It’s only in that space we can see the very answer to our nothingness.

Think about the vision in Ezekiel: dry bones scattered in the valley, lifeless and without hope. That’s a picture of who we are without God. And how do those bones come to life? By the power of God’s Word. His Word speaks life where there is none. Our God through his Word tells us, “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’” But the question must be asked…why would God even bother? If we are but nothing, why does he care for us so? The Apostle Paul gives us the answer, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

This is the love that changes everything. God takes nobodies and makes us His children, heirs of eternal life. Through His Word he creates life out of nothing just as he always has. And how did He do this? By becoming nothing Himself. Jesus, “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” He became nothing so you could have an identity that isn’t clothed with the meaninglessness of what this world can offer you, but that you could be given a new identity bursting with forgiveness, enwrapped in righteousness, and empowered by grace.

This is the wonder of repentant life: it’s not about shaming ourselves. It’s about seeing our sin so we can see God’s grace all the more clearly. And when we live in repentance, we are no longer consumed with ourselves. We become consumed with Jesus and His love for us. Jesus Himself said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Repentance leads us to this fruitful life, one that is no longer driven by the pressure to perform but by the freedom to live for Jesus. It’s not about proving ourselves worthy, but about resting in the worth Christ has given us. We live with the goal to be like Jesus, forgetting ourselves in the wonder of God’s love. That’s the freedom we long for most. Like Job, we long to break out of the “courtroom-style life” where every day you have to perform, hoping you can live to a standard where people will love you, admire you, but Jesus has freed you from that pressure-cooker life. The Christian life instead is built on the verdict your Heavenly Father has declared for you at your baptism, “This is my child whom I love. With her, with him, I am well-pleased.” It’s losing ourselves in how amazing our God is. And when you see your identity in that lens, can’t you see the life before you? A life of not constantly thinking of yourself, but getting lost in boldly living for Jesus? That’s the life of repentance! It’s not a life of shaming, but a life of gracing! (Yes I just made up that word!)

Repentance transforms every relationship. Instead of controlling others or protecting our egos, we release control and ask God to help us love those around us with the same radical love He’s shown us. The grace-given life of repentance frees us from the exhausting need to build ourselves up. Instead, we point others to the One who lifts us up. Think about it when it comes to parenting. We want to teach our kids that confessing sins and asking for forgiveness is actually the strong thing to do, how we heal by God’s grace. To not try to hide our flaws and failures but to confess them to God and each other, so he can remind us through his Word that he’s forgiven all our sins and remembers them no more. We model this so our kids don’t do what so many of their peers will do, build up ego, or build up their brand. We want our kids to see themselves through Jesus. Because let’s face whether you’re a teen or 85 years old there’s always that temptation of trying to be something you’re not. The search for belonging is real, but you already have a place where you belong. Jesus knows you and you are worth so much more than likes and hearts on social media. You are worth his very blood and that will never change.

When we make having a repentance conversation with Jesus a part of our daily routine whether it’s when we’re driving to work or over the first of many cups of coffee in the morning, or shutting down for the night, to confront our sins, our mortality, our weaknesses, we no longer keep ourselves at the forefront but we look away from self and back to Jesus. And in that way, we treasure God’s grace that much more, we are who we are because of God’s love for us. And that love makes us more forgiving, doesn’t it? To let go of slights instead of letting our ego hold on to them until appeasement happens. His grace makes us be truly free, and it radically transforms our weaknesses into strengths. Like Jesus once told the apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made complete in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

In a world craving control, thinking that’s the only path to finding peace in life’s unpredictability, we release control. We give it all to Jesus. In that vein, let’s challenge each other this week to carve out time each day—even just a few minutes—to have that conversation with God. Reflect on where you've fallen short, and then rest in the certainty of His grace. Repentance isn’t about tearing yourself down; it’s about building your life on the freedom Jesus has given you. Let’s embrace that freedom together, friends. Amen.