“Would It Go Well If He Examined You?”
Would it go well if he examined you? - Job 13.9 (CSB)
Examined - חָקַר (ḥā·qǎr)
explore, search out, discover, probe, sound out, examine, test, i.e., try to find out information about an object; search out, inquire; searched (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew [Old Testament] - DBL Hebrew).
In his book “Working the Angles,” Eugene Peterson makes this statement, causing me to pause and reflect this morning, “It is by exchanging sounds, not snapshots, with each other that revelation takes place and relationship becomes intimate.”
“Exchanging sounds” (i.e. conversation and words with each other), “not snapshots.”
A snapshot is “an impression or view of something brief or transitory” (Merriam-Webster.com). We live in a world of snapshots; we've just changed the word we use for it. Today, we call them “posts.” We’ve moved from a place of truly examining life and getting to know people at a deeper level to a place of passing on as much information as possible without “having to” truly connect with anyone in the process. We are more connected informationally than ever before but more lonely than we’ve ever been. There are thousands of videos on YouTube about “how to do” and “how to fix”. There’s a fascination about being as productive as possible with every single second because we’ve bought into the cult of busyness. The idea of rest is not celebrated. Slowing down is a sign of weakness, not wisdom. We are prone not to “examine” anything because there’s not enough time to do so. We simply want to learn as much as possible about things and people without having a true desire to understand them.
What happened to us? When did it become part of our society’s DNA to rush at such a fast and relentless pace that leaves us with no margins to breathe? And when did we, Christ’s followers, begin to think this was what we are called to as well? I’ve often said, “God doesn’t wear a wristwatch.” I can’t remember if I’ve read that somewhere or not, so please forgive me for not citing my source if you know who coined the phrase. God is not in a hurry. Jesus, when he was on earth, did not rush. He wasn’t in a hurry to always be getting somewhere or getting something done. There is nothing in the gospel accounts of Jesus that reveals a hurried Jesus. He would stop “the parade” of the multitudes in order to deal with the one. And that one? He listened to them and heard them. He sympathized with them and rejoiced with them. He did things that required time but was blessed with intimate interactions with his creation. He examined them and, therefore, knew them (Pastors: I think we need to get back to shepherding like the Great Shepherd shepherds, but that’s a different blog post).
“Would it go well if he examined you?”
What would he find? How would you feel if Jesus sat down with you, eye-to-eye and knee-to-knee, and examined you? And how much of Jesus are you missing out on because you fit him in with the rest of your schedule instead of surrendering your schedule to his Lordship? Are you tempted to keep Jesus at a distance because you’re ashamed of what you know he will find? Let me encourage you with the same words that God revealed to me a while back that brought so much joy and freedom to me, knowing that God’s examination of me is not a shame-filled act but rather a liberating one of grace.
LORD, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know all about it, LORD. You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me. This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it. - Psalm 139.1-6 (CSB)
Wondrous | פִּלְאִי (pil·ʾî)
wonderful, fantastic, beyond understanding, i.e., pertaining to that which is impossible to understand, with a focus on it as a marvelous, positive mystery (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew [Old Testament] - DBL Hebrew).
David was KNOWN by God. God had searched David and, therefore, knew David. And this was fantastic news to David. It was a marvelously liberating reality. And it can be the same thing for you.
I want to encourage you to slow down and lean into the beauty of the time-wasting activity of examination. Slow down to learn the rhythms of Jesus so that you can experience the life that Jesus offers us. And please don’t get me wrong. I completely understand that there are seasons of busyness, and some of those busy things are good because those things actually matter and have meaning. But I want to encourage you to not find your meaning and identity in “being busy.” Why? Because there’s nothing of a true and lasting health that comes from always being busy. John Mark Comer says it this way, “The number one problem you will face is time. People are just too busy to live emotionally healthy and spiritually rich and vibrant lives” (”The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,” pg. 21).
I also want to encourage you to lean into the liberating act of slowing down with the Holy Spirit as he examines you. Don’t rush the process. Don’t give God a window of rushed time to do what he prefers to do slowly. Don’t settle for a microwave version of Christianity that really doesn’t need Jesus. Stop “following Jesus” at a pace that requires you to pull him to keep up with you and your pace. All that these things accomplish is a sense that our religious duty of “following Jesus” has been met while leaving us feeling empty. It causes us to exchange the life that comes with following Jesus for lifeless and monotonous religiosity with overtones of moralism yet void of intimacy with our Creator. Our walks with Jesus are supposed to be life-giving. We are supposed to experience the abundant life of Jesus. We are supposed to experience freedom from our addictions and release from our fears. We are offered hope, joy, and peace in the midst of a world that seems to be unraveling. We are invited to be examined by the Great Physician so that he can diagnose our problem and then prescribe his remedy. But all of this happens not through a drive-thru Christianity but rather by a long stroll with Jesus, giving him time for the sanctifying and life-transforming process of examination.
“There is a tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, that I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench his determination to bless me.” - J.I. Packer, ****“Knowing God”
“Would it go well if he examined you?”
I promise you that it will.
