Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "When God Takes Away" for Thursday, 17 July 2014 - Read Job 1:13-22

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "When God Takes Away" for Thursday, 17 July 2014 - Read Job 1:13-15 Sometime later, while Job’s children were having one of their parties at the home of the oldest son, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing in the field next to us when Sabeans attacked. They stole the animals and killed the field hands. I’m the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened.”
16 While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, “Bolts of lightning struck the sheep and the shepherds and fried them—burned them to a crisp. I’m the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened.”
17 While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, “Chaldeans coming from three directions raided the camels and massacred the camel drivers. I’m the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened.”
18-19 While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, “Your children were having a party at the home of the oldest brother when a tornado swept in off the desert and struck the house. It collapsed on the young people and they died. I’m the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened.”
20 Job got to his feet, ripped his robe, shaved his head, then fell to the ground and worshiped:
21 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.
22 Not once through all this did Job sin; not once did he blame God.
[Job] said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”(Job 1:21 (NRSV))
When we consider Job, a man who intensely loved and obeyed God and yet was stripped of his children and his vast wealth, we see his words as an astounding response to phenomenal loss. Sometimes, people mistakenly believe that suffering is the result of wrongs committed. The disciples, for example, asked Jesus about a man born blind, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2) Yet the Bible declares that neither Job nor the blind man was afflicted because of wrongdoing. Job knew his suffering was not the result of sin. He also understood that everything he lost had been given to him by God and that whether God gives or takes away, God is worthy of praise. Job trusted God in the midst of his trials, and Paul reminds us that God works in all situations for good for all who love the Lord (Rom. 8:28).
The Author: Brooke Espinoza (California, USA)
Thought for the Day: We can rejoice that God does not withhold good from us.
Prayer: Dear God in heaven, thank you for working all things for good in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Visit devotional.upperroom.org/blog for more content.

Prayer focus: For faith in times of discouragement
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