“The LORD Gave,
And The LORD Has
Taken Away”
One day when his sons and daughters were eating and
drinking wine in the eldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The
oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off, and killed the
servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.” While
he was still speaking, another came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven
and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; I alone have escaped
to tell you. While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The Chaldeans
formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and
killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell
you.” While he was still speaking, another came and said, “Your sons and
daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house, and
suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the
house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped
to tell you.”
Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell
on the ground and worshipped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and
naked I shall return there; 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 wrongdoing.
Job 1:13-22
Imagine relaxing on a rubber raft along the beach. The
sun is warm, the winds smell nice, and everything seems right. You open your
eyes and realize your raft has drifted quite a distance from the beach, and the
shore is alarmingly distant. We tend to drift like that spiritually. It’s
subtle yet shocking when we suddenly realize how far we’ve drifted from God.
The point of departure begins when Satan steals our affection for our loving
Creator by putting a deceitful twist on our experiences and causing us to
suspect God instead of trusting in Him.
Consider Job and his wife. Both had plenty of reasons to
be mad at God. Their children were dead, their fortune lost, and Job’s health
destroyed.
There are many attitudes that can set us adrift:
believing that we need more than God to be happy; placing meaningful
relationships above loyalty to God; thinking God should live up to our
expectations; resisting His reproofs; turning a deaf ear when His Word is
uncomfortable. If you are beginning to drift, remember to stay close to the One
who is the sole source of satisfaction.
To avoid drifting away from God, stay
anchored to the Rock.
Our Daily Bread – April 29, 2009