How can Job 39:10 encourage us to submit to God's will daily? Setting the Scene Job 39:10: “Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness? Will he plow the valleys behind you?” God challenges Job with the image of a wild ox—an untamable, massive animal that refuses human control. The question punctures human pride and underscores divine sovereignty. What the Wild Ox Reveals • Human limitations: Even our best ropes and harnesses cannot force the wild ox to cooperate. • Divine mastery: The very fact that God can pose the question shows He alone commands creation (Psalm 50:10-11). • Sovereignty applied: If God rules the strongest beasts, He certainly rules every detail of our lives (Isaiah 46:9-10). Because Scripture is accurate and literal, this image of the ox is not poetic exaggeration; it is historical reality, grounding our trust in God’s actual power. Why This Encourages Daily Submission 1. Confidence in God’s competence – If He governs untamed creatures, He can govern the tangled details of a Tuesday morning (Matthew 10:29-31). 2. Relief from self-reliance – We are freed from the exhausting burden of self-rule; instead, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart” (Proverbs 3:5-6). 3. Assurance of purpose – God’s plans never fail (Job 42:2). Yielding to Him aligns us with purposes that cannot be thwarted. 4. Pattern of Christ – Jesus, facing the cross, prayed, “Yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Submission is the lifestyle of the Son and therefore of every follower. Practical Ways to Plow Behind God, Not Ahead of Him • Start each morning by acknowledging His rule: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10). • Surrender today’s calendar: hand over meetings, chores, and interruptions, asking Him to order them. • Obey promptly: when Scripture speaks clearly—love your neighbor, flee temptation—act without delay (James 1:22). • Invite correction: welcome the Spirit’s conviction that pulls you out of self-made furrows (Hebrews 12:5-6). • End the day in gratitude: review His faithfulness, reinforcing trust for tomorrow (Psalm 92:1-2). Living Illustrations from Scripture • Noah built an ark on dry land because God said so (Genesis 6:22). • Abraham left Ur “not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). • Mary submitted to an unplanned pregnancy: “May it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Each trusted the One who controls the wild ox; each found that obedience opened doors to blessing beyond imagination. Summary Take-Away When Job 39:10 reminds us we cannot harness a wild ox, it quietly invites us to let God harness us. Daily submission is neither drudgery nor defeat; it is the safest, most fruitful place to live, because the hands guiding the plow belong to the Lord of heaven and earth. |
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