He Gives and Takes Away

What a truism.  God does give and take away, according to His sovereign will.  Do you trust in Him? 

It is a nice song we sing, but what happens when we are face to face with this truism? 

Our Good God, does allow pain and suffering.  There is sin in the world, and with the character of His Redemptive heart- He works His plan out, even using the inherent sin of the world (brought on by Adam and Eve in the Garden), for good. 

For GOOD?!   How can this be?  All this misery, multiple points of misery- be for good?! 

I don't admit to understanding how it all works- just like I don't understand things like: how computers work, how electricity works, how the planets keep their required distance from each other... but, they work.

None of their workings depend on my understanding. 

Today my daily Bible readings brought me to the book of Job.  How appropriate.  Job chapter one-  God allows Job to be sifted by Satan, confident in the integrity of Job's heart.  Satan is allowed, by God Himself- to take away all of Job's children, and lively-hood/investments. 

With grief-  Job fell to the ground, before God and said, (Job 1:21) " I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die; The LORD gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away, Praise the name of the LORD!"

Stunning-  his response, his landing point:  praise the name of the LORD!

In  chapter  Two, his wife admonishes Job- as Satan has added great physical afflictions to Job's trials.  She encourages Job to 'curse God and die'.  In verse 10, Job tells her, "You talk like a godless woman.  Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?" 

Job continued to show integrity in his relationship with the LORD.

Oh may the LORD encourage our hearts to be as Job's.  May we so well thirst after God, that the pleasure of communion with Him, knowing Him- even in His mystery, shore our integrity as His follower. May we not grow weary of serving Him, though our bodies and minds are beyond weary- may our hearts sing in His presence. 

Praise the name of the LORD!  Together, let's bring our sacrifice of praise to Him this day~

Blessings-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du0il6d-DAk