How do you know someone is simply full of it? They accuse others of ignorance and exalt their own imagined understanding. 

For every Job, there are three or four Elihus. Truly wise men and women speak the truth in love simply and repeatedly. Elihus blast extravagance and repetition. They never get tired of the sound of their own voices. 

Much of what Elihu, and Job’s other three friends, said was true. It was simply out of context. They started from the wrong place and ended up in the wrong place. We really shouldn’t act like we know it all when we don’t. 

That’s enough for me to ponder for the day on a morning that began with eighty-mile-per-hour winds, flooding rain, and vicious lightning. Elihu has a lot to say about thunder and lightning in these chapters. He says in 36:32, 

“He covers his hands with lightning and commands it to hit its mark.”

Or as The Message paraphrases it,

He hurls arrows of light,
taking sure and accurate aim.

Calmer, but not calm, storms rumble around us now. Lightning flashes are less frequent. Rain is simmering down. 

Today is a good day to avoid impugning the words of others and exalting our own understanding. It’s a good day to listen deeply and to respond appropriately even if the best response is simple silence. 

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I will listen deeply and speak only if helpful. 

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Our Father, there is so much ignorance in this world of ours. So many stupid things will be spoken today. Please prevent me from adding to the confusion. Please keep me from missing the mark. Please see me quiet when this is the best possible response. Amen.