The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind…
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
“Who determined its measurements…or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place?
“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
or loose the cords of Orion?
“Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?”
Job answered the Lord:
“See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.”
– Job 38.1, 4a, 5-7, 12, 31, 33, 40.3-4
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As God spake unto Job,
through both the night and the day,
so, too, when my breath, without restraint,
bears no phrase of gratitude,
e’en less, praise,
and only words of complaint,
as if the world need answer all my questioning
and life proceed in sole accord with my desiring,
I hear the echoes of the Vox Dei
calling unto me, saying:
“Alway look above
that you may, that you will be reminded
that you,
as I have made you,
slight, finite being,
can ne’er be the (e’en your) highest point.
“And when I bring darkness upon the solar island of your birth,
this My earth,
count, if you dare to try, the numbers of the stars,
and then measure the angles amongst them,
and so, factor, if you can (tho’, surely, you cannot)
My Divine Calculus.
“And when, at the rising of the morning star,
I deign that night ends,
look not at the arc of its daily flight
lest you lose your sight;
nevertheless, delight in its warmth and light,
and then, raise your voice in My praise.
“And of all things,
I bid you recall
that I came to you
in the simplest complexity of all:
breathing, bearing (drawing nearest to you in) My Spirit
in your flesh;
all that I might show My Love for you.
“I bid you
pray Me
saying you know.”
Illustration: The Lord answering Job out of the whirlwind (1826), William Blake (1757-1827)
occasional observations of mind and heart, soul and spirit 
Dear Paul,
I hear echoes of “The Hound of Heaven” in this, and I had never connected Job and “H of H” before. Once again a new insight, a new connection, a new idea to ponder. Very timely; I’ve been feeling a little Job-like (both personally and for our poor, dear country) all day.
Thank you.
Love,
Karen
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My beloved sister, I, too, have been feeling and do feel, as you write, “a little Job-like…for our poor, dear country.” And more, I do not see (which, of course, means little, for my visionary powers always have been and are limited, perhaps, truth to tell, by the shadow of my e’er-present pessimism!) an outcome of betterment prevailing any time soon. From my perspective, the political, uber-partisan maelstrom remains firmly in place, both clouding the present sky and that of the distant horizon. Nevertheless, one benefit, personally, is the boost the Spirit hath granted me to my life of prayer; that is, trusting more greatly in a providence larger than mine own.
Love,
Paul
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I agree with Karen!! We are all feeling Job-like!! And like Paul I don’t see this pattern ending any time soon!! But… such an opportunity we have I think, to remember The Divine… and all that’s been given to us…. our life and God’s Love… so that even when we are ungrateful or complaining, we still have so much to be thankful for. That Reminder is big for me because I want to hold on to as many memories as possible!!
Much love!
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And in terms of the direction of our country, I would like to write that I felt and feel that last night’s debate, involving 10 of the candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency, was helpful, even inspiring. I was and am left wanting on, as you, Loretta, oft say, “so many levels,” which, here, in this space, I shall not enumerate. Suffice it say, for me, I wonder about the health of a nation that cannot seem to produce (at least, in my eyes) candidates for the highest office in the land who embody the values/virtues of love and justice that will not yield to political pandering or expediency or, dare I say, the cowardice that cannot/refuses to answer a direct question…
Okay, rant over.
Love
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