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And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21 NKJV
Imagine losing all your children and all your property today. Would the first words out of your mouth be anywhere near as God-honoring as Job’s words quoted above?
In his book Living above the Level of Mediocrity, Chuck Swindoll recalls a conversation he had with the late Corrie ten Boom. She said, “Chuck, I’ve learned that we must hold everything loosely, because when I grip it tightly, it hurts when the Father pries my fingers loose and takes it from me!” This was a woman who lost family members in Nazi concentration camps, including her beloved sister Betsie. She knew something about great loss and yet, like Job, she honored God by maintaining a loose hold on everything in this life.
This is what the transformed life looks like. It doesn’t deny heartache, nor does it fail to mourn when the situation warrants it. But it also sees life through the lens of the kingdom and is willing to accept whatever happens because God is in control. Sometimes He gives, and sometimes He takes away.
The child of God blesses Him either way.
Prayer: Lord, the heartache I’ve experienced has blinded me at times from seeing life through the lens of the kingdom. You are in control. Blessed be Your name.
Imagine losing all your children and all your property today. Would the first words out of your mouth be anywhere near as God-honoring as Job’s words quoted above?
In his book Living above the Level of Mediocrity, Chuck Swindoll recalls a conversation he had with the late Corrie ten Boom. She said, “Chuck, I’ve learned that we must hold everything loosely, because when I grip it tightly, it hurts when the Father pries my fingers loose and takes it from me!” This was a woman who lost family members in Nazi concentration camps, including her beloved sister Betsie. She knew something about great loss and yet, like Job, she honored God by maintaining a loose hold on everything in this life.
This is what the transformed life looks like. It doesn’t deny heartache, nor does it fail to mourn when the situation warrants it. But it also sees life through the lens of the kingdom and is willing to accept whatever happens because God is in control. Sometimes He gives, and sometimes He takes away.
The child of God blesses Him either way.
Prayer: Lord, the heartache I’ve experienced has blinded me at times from seeing life through the lens of the kingdom. You are in control. Blessed be Your name.
