What a strange question for Job to ask the Lord! He felt too small, too insignificant to need such strict watching and discipline. Surely he wasn't so wild that he needed to be kept on such a tight leash? It was a natural question for someone drowning in unbearable suffering. But the answer? The answer is humbling.

Yes, it's true—you are not the sea. But you are far more troublesome and unruly than the sea has ever been.

Think about it. The mighty ocean obeys its boundaries. A simple strip of sand, and the waves stop. Right there. Even in the wildest storm, when the sea rages and pounds, it hears God say "This far and no further!" and it obeys. But self-willed humanity? We defy heaven and oppress earth, and there is no end to our rebellious rage.

The sea submits to the moon's pull, ebbing and flowing with perfect regularity. Active obedience and passive obedience, both rendered without complaint. But man? We are restless outside our calling and lazy within it. We sleep when we should be serving. We will not come when God calls or go when he sends. We stubbornly insist on doing what we should not do, and leaving undone what he requires.

Every drop in the ocean—every bubble, every fleck of foam, every shell, every grain of sand—feels the power of God's law and yields immediately. Oh, if only our nature showed one thousandth of that obedience!

We call the sea fickle and false, but look how constant it is! Since your great-grandfather's time, since ancient days, the sea has been right where it always was. Same cliffs. Same rhythm. Same song. You know exactly where to find it. It never abandons its place, never changes its endless music. But where is man? Fickle, faithless man? Can even the wisest person predict what foolishness will seduce you from obedience tomorrow?

We need more watching than the wild sea. We are far more rebellious than any whale.

Lord, rule us for your own glory. Amen.