29 Jan He Gives. . . He Takes!!

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the Name of the Lord” (Job 1:21) 

No one other than Jesus suffered mentally and physically like Job did. The Bible encourages us to have the “patience of Job” (Js. 5:10, 11). What he spoke when he suffered is worthy of close meditation. If patience is the sign of perfection; then words of patience become the crown of a perfect life.

The text mentioned above is famous for funeral services. We may read it today formally as a Bible text. But when the lips of Job gave birth to these words, it was an absolutely real confession, which sprang from a heart of honesty. The losses of Job were by no means ordinary. Death of his cattle, their caretakers and his children, all in quick succession (Job 1:13-19). To worsen the situation, he became sick with an abominable disease.

Several advocates of positive confession tell us that Job was right when he said, “The Lord gave! “ But he was wrong when he added, “The Lord has taken away! “. They say it was not the Lord but Satan who took away Job’s blessings. The fallacy of this interpretation is obvious. In the very next verse of the narrative the Holy Spirit has recorded, “ In all of this Job did not sin by blaming God” (v.22). The scripture again says, “In all this Job said nothing wrong! “ (2:10). Job’s understanding was that God was supreme and sovereign And Satan has no power. It was this knowledge that made Job praise God for everything in every situation.

One bad day doesn’t mean u aren’t worth living this life. Everybody goes through this phase some quit while others fight through it.

Maybe today, things did not work out as you thought they would! You are hurt are in pain. It has been a bad day, or perhaps a month or  may be a bad year!

That is fine. Trust me – you are going to be fine. God is in control and He is watching over everything you go through. By the end of this month you may not have the same intensity of pain or confusion with whatever you are going through now.

Many quit when they go through bad times but quitting isn’t the solution. You still have the same passion. You are still the child of Most High God. You are loved the way you are at present. So, pursue that dream. Keep praying and trusting God. Soon you will see things turning around for your good.

We are taught to “be always thankful, no matter what happened, for this is God’s will for us who belong to Christ Jesus” (1Thess 5:18). We may not “feel” like praising God while we are crushed with pain and problems. It doesn’t matter, praise God anyway. Praise God when you feel like praising Him; praise Him when you don’t feel like praising Him; keep on praising Him until you feel like praising Him.!!

Come, ye disconsolate, where’re ye languish Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel; Here bring your wounded hearts; here tell your anguish: Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal! You are called to move beyond suffering (1 Peter 4:1-6)

Sharon Angel Toppo from Ranchi, is a student of English Literature in Ananda College, Hazaribagh. She is the Music Secretary of Ranchi ICEU & Treasurer and Student Member in SCOP, Jharkhand.