Can a man be profitable to God?
Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,
or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
Job 22:2–3
Our adorable grandson came for a visit not long ago. At twenty months, he is obsessed with tools. His toy hammer, drill, screw driver, pliars, wrench, and measuring tape are cherished possessions. Much of his day is spent pounding, sawing, tightening, and measuring whatever is in his reach. At Papoo and Grammy’s house that meant the radiator covers, and the screws holding them in place, were exactly the right height for him.
He went straight to work, fixing the radiator cover’s loose screws. Nodding when he was done. “Work.” He patted the radiator cover and smiled at me. “Hard!” Then he toddled off to find another project, his efforts a fine imitation of the weekend remodeling his daddy and Papoo tackle together at the old farm house where he lives.
We didn’t tell our sweet boy that our radiator covers required no fixing. We were so delighted by his presence in our home and pleased with his desire to help that we kept pointing out hinges to pound, rivets to tighten, and doorways to measure. Now, when people ask about our grandson, we describe a hard-working little handyman and his tool obsession. If they don’t ask, we whip out some pictures and tell them anyway.
A few weeks after this pint-sized visitor left our home in tip top shape, Job 22 led me to ponder the questions asked in verses 2 and 3. Does God need me or my works? Does he gain anything when we are in the right or try to be blameless?
For a few minutes I thought about our mighty and holy God, creator of all things, powerful beyond measure, the sovereign Lord who knows the end from the beginning, the God who provides for our every need.
The answer to the questions in Job became clear and humbling. God does not need me or my efforts. He doesn’t need my books, my blog posts, or my speaking gigs. In the wake of my attempts to be righteous and blameless, his Son died on the cross to make right what I did wrong. That realization led to one more question. If God doesn’t need my measly efforts, why in the world does he give me work to do?
The answer came as I thought about our grandson’s visit. His hard work did not profit me. In fact, his presence required extra effort. Thinking of things he could fix next. Time wasted finding the toy tools he misplaced. Projects interrupted to give hugs when he grew frustrated and to kiss boo-boos when he got hurt.
I did not need my grandson or his efforts. And yet, his delight in imitating the work of his father and the joy we found in his presence created memories I will cherish all my life. God describes love for us in similar language in Zephaniah 3:17:
The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
So why does God give me and you and all his children work to do if our best efforts mean more work for him? Because he delights in us. Because he delights in our feeble attempts to be like him. He delights in our presence. Because he’s our daddy, and he loves us.
Photo Credit: Kookai_nak at www.freedigitalphotos.net
