2/7/2024

As I sit at the dinner table and look around, I see my two young boys, my beautiful wife, and this wonderful life that the Lord has blessed me with. A question rose to my mind, how would I respond if the Lord took it all away? Immediately a fearful thought, quick but intrusive, rose to my mind, “Lord please do not test my faith in this manner”. Then I paused and thought about what I just asked. Do I trust in the Lord enough to put everything in his hands? 

The Bible tells the story of a man named Job. God had so much confidence in Job that he allowed satan to do whatever he saw fit to make Job curse God. For he knew that Job would not turn away from him. Satan took away everything from Job; his vast wealth, his livestock, even all 10 of his children and he did it all on the same day. It would be the same as if you were out of town and you got a phone call from your neighbor saying your house burnt down with all of your belongings and family inside. Job, we are told, was a man of perfect integrity who feared God. Upon receiving the bad news, Job tore his robe and shaved his head and he fell to the ground. But what he did next was shocking, he began to worship saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” 

I realized that day as I pondered questions of life and death and my faith in the Lord, I was not living as a man of integrity and I did not fear God as I should.. A person reading the story of Job might say God is evil for allowing such things to come upon his faithful servant. However, Job himself didn’t even have such a dastardly thought, Job simply worshiped. You see, Job came to a realization that many can’t bring themselves to accept… God has the plans of the universe in his hands and he loves us. You see even though we may not know why bad things happen, or why God lets us go through any given situation, we do know that he has a plan that is good, so we need not worry. As Job said in worship, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away” I would suggest one more truth, and that is Job realized that everything in this world is temporary; the pain, the suffering, loss, death, anxiety, fear, etc. Job had no need to deal with any of those things because his eyes were set on the Lord. And so I ask you, are your eyes set on the Lord?

Associate Pastor Clay