Blessed Be The Name of The Lord

"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong."

~Job 1:20-22

It doesn’t take many years on this planet to figure out that life isn’t fair. In fact, life is downright unfair and it’s a lifelong struggle to get through. Life hurts us mentally and physically, and from time to time, can leave us gasping in the dirt trying to figure out what happened and what’s going on. The one thing that’s certain is that life won’t leave any of us unscathed but how we handle life’s distress, disasters, and disappointments is totally up to us. I think it’s why I like reading the Book of Job so much. The devil unleashed his worst on Job, yet through everything he endured, Job “did not sin or charge God with wrong.” As a chaplain, I have heard many people blame God for what is wrong in their lives, even people who claim to not believe in God, blame Him when things go wrong. I have also had many people ask, “Why would God allow this to happen?” Answering people who blame God is much easier than answering why He allows things to happen.

I know in my own life I have endured many losses from the death of a daughter to the death of grandchildren and a husband. I have watched my father battle cancer, as well as having many friends who have either had cancer or had a loved one with cancer. I’ve grieved with others who have had similar losses in their lives, and I’ve stayed awake many a night praying for an answer to “why?” In truth, I don’t know why God allows the things that happen to us, especially to those who serve Him in everything they do. Yes, it does seem unfair to me; yes, it does hurt to think that God isn’t as concerned as I think He should be; but no, I do not blame God because I believe the Bible.

“Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified (Romans 8:25-30).”

When we are called by God, we know who we are in Him. We know that no matter what happens in life, it is a temporary situation. We know that what happens here on Earth strengthens and refines us and conforms us to the image of Christ. We know that there is a better plan, an ultimate plan laid out for us by God before we were even created in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5), and the God who planned for us to be born will never forget or abandon us (Hebrews 13:5). We are His and He has written our names on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16). There is nothing we go through that God has not already prepared a conclusion for that is strictly in our favor. So if the odds are rigged, they are definitely in our favor!

The story of Job is a life lesson for us all. Yes, there will be great losses and great grief. Yes, our friends will turn on us, and even our families will abandon us. We will be betrayed in ways we don’t expect or see coming. We will shed tears, feel like life’s biggest loser, and sometimes we will be tempted to give up and walk away. But in all things, we must remember that God is in control and He is our ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). I have had to repeat Job’s line many times in my life, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Name of the Lord.” So I hope this gives you encouragement no matter what you may be going through right now. It’s okay to cry and be discouraged, and it’s okay to grieve our losses, but we also have to remember that God still has our best interest at heart and in the end, He will make all things right again.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17).”

Read Job 1-6

© 2018 Marie McGaha