The weight of current events are nothing short of crushing. The disappearance and apparent abduction of two little girls in our city, then the massacre at the Aurora, Colorado theater a week later. Both events hitting closer to home than I'm comfortable with. The missing girls, because it happened right in my own back yard and waking up at 4am to hear the news channel reporting live on the scene where 12 people lost their life, and worrying how my friend was, who lives there.
I was reminded by another blogger of the story of Job from the Bible. We've all heard the phrase, "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away." It's usually used in the wrong context that God was testing Job's faith by destroying his life to see if Job would turn his back on God. For starters, that's totally incorrect. It was Satan, the deceiver, who wanted to test Job and God said to Satan, "All right, you may test him. Do whatever you want with everything he possesses but don't harm him physically." (Job 1:12 NLT) John 10:10 says, "The thief's (Satan) purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My (Jesus) purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."
And Satan did just that...he killed his family, destroyed his posessions, and storms sent by Satan killed Job's children.
What did Job say and do? "Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground TO WORSHIP." (Job 1:20 NLT) Verse 21 goes on to include the famous phrase, "The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away." Job, like most people today, see tragedy all around and because of some Sunday School lesson they heard long ago that they didn't understand, erroneously believe that because God is omnipotent and in control, it must be Him that does this stuff. What Job wasn't privy to was the conversation held earlier between God and Satan.
But even so, verse 22, goes on to show us what our response should be. "In all of this, Job DID NOT SIN BY BLAMING GOD." Understand, He didn't blame God, and even though he didn't understand, HE WORSHIPPED!
God does not hurt His children. He wants what is best for us. He wants us to succeed. He wants us to grow and mature. And the best joy a father can have is when a child throws their arms around his neck and says, "Daddy, I love you!"
I know we all face obstacles and hardships brought on by the results of our own disobedience to God. Like when a father tells their child "Don't touch the hot stove!" and the child does it anyway and gets burned. And we also are constantly under attack by Satan, who remember, wants to steal, kill, and destroy. But it is my faith in God's promises and love for us that sustains me. One person is not better than another. Romans 2:11 says, "For God does not show favoritism." He will do for you, what He has done for me. He has taken away my fear. Again, I borrow from a blog I read earlier today, a portion of God's word which states, "But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?" (Psalms 56:3-4 NLT)
So when faced by destruction, do not fear. Instead, have faith in God and worship, like Job, the One who is in control.
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