Elihu suddenly spoke up in Job chapter 32. It’s apparent he had been present all along, but he held his peace because he believed Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar were older and wiser than he was. ‘I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know’ (Job 32:6 NIV). After hearing the long and meaningless discourses of Job’s three older friends, Elihu suddenly felt emboldened to speak: ‘It is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding. It is not only the old who are wise…Therefore I say: listen to me; I too will tell you what I know’ (Job 32:8-10 NIVUK). Then he spoke non-stop for the next six chapters. He no longer saw himself as a loser in the game of comparison. Feelings of inferiority are generated by comparing yourself with others. Or you go to the other extreme and finish up with a sense of superiority. That’s why you should never play the comparison game. Question: can you recall a time when you felt so inadequate that you kept quiet and refused to speak up, even though you had a worthwhile thought or idea? You must realise that it is not your ability that determines your success, but ‘the breath of the Almighty, that gives [you] understanding’. The secret of success is drawing daily on God’s enabling power. When you become persuaded of this truth, you will be able to take on new levels of risk and responsibility without fear of failure.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.