Bible Passage: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I’ll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God’s name be ever blessed.” (Job 1:21 MSG)
Scripture Reading: Job 1:1-22
This whole week has been driving towards this final thought on the fear of the Lord.
The reason it is so essential that we fear the Lord is that our very lives belong to Him.
Consider Job.
This guy was set up quite well; he was doing all right!
“He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!” (Job 1:2-3 MSG).
Wow! You can imagine comparisons to people today—Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg—but Job had a significant difference from these influential men:
“He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion” (Job 1:1 MSG).
Job’s story, however, takes a quick and shocking turn.
In one day, raiding parties stole most of his livestock and killed his servants. Not only that, but a storm killed the rest of his animals and servants. Finally, a tornado killed all his children.
It takes your breath away!
Yet somehow, Job’s fear and respect for God were great enough that he didn’t blame Him.
Shortly thereafter, Job was struck with a painful illness. His wife, devastated by the horrific tragedies, said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9 NIV).
I think anyone in that situation would agree with Job’s wife’s sentiments.
What happened to Job seemed unfair. It seemed love-less.
Earlier, Job had said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I’ll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God’s name be ever blessed.” (Job 1:21 MSG)
Our lives, our whole lives, belong to God.
Maybe you are not prepared for this type of treatment. Maybe you think God has no right to do that to you or to anyone else.
But we are God’s creation. Not only that, but He purchased our lives by the sacrifice of His life. Why would He give up so much out of love for us, only to treat us poorly thereafter? It makes no sense.
God loves you, brother. Everything He does in your life, He does out of love.
Fear the Lord and trust Him with your life.
Prayer: Dear Lord, Your ways are higher than my ways, and Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. I can only see what’s in front of me. Sometimes, when this is distasteful, I complain bitterly to You. Have mercy on me, Lord. Deliver me from evil, but also, help me to trust You with whatever comes my way. Thank You for dying on the Cross for me. You purchased my life for eternity. I am forever grateful. Amen.
Reflection: Maybe you are in a time of pain and suffering these days. Will you, like Job, surrender yourself over to the plan and will of God? Will you fear Him enough to trust that He has you on His mind and is working all things out for your good?
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