Jump Start # 864

Job 1:20-21 “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 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.”

Our passage today is the words of Job after Satan’s first assault. He was hit hard. He lost his livestock, his servants, and all his children. Satan attacked Job emotionally, financially, mentally with the hopes that it would destroy him spiritually. These are the first words spoken by Job after the death of all his children. Often, after a disaster, people are in shock and they may say things that later they regret or don’t really mean. Job seems to be in a clear state of mind.

There are several things we learn from these words of Job.

First, he worshiped God. The disaster wasn’t a reason to not worship God. Job had left ten fresh graves in the cemetery. Satan wanted Job to accuse God, blame God, curse God. Satan wanted Job to walk away from God. It’s easy to serve God in the sunshine, but how about dep in the night of life? How about those long journeys through the valley of death? We need God the most when we are hurting, broken, and nearly crushed. After the funeral, we need God. Sitting in the emergency room, we need God. There is a lesson for us here. We don’t want to be those who only worship God in the sunshine of life. We must wonder if we are proving Satan right by our actions when we are standing in Job’s shoes. Prayers are needed. Scriptures are needed. Brethren are needed.

Second, there is a truth to the statement, “naked I came,” and “naked  I shall return.” We came with nothing. No clothes, no ability to take care of ourselves, not even a name. Everything was given to us. We came needing things. We spend a lifetime accumulating stuff only to leave it all here. What we do take with us is our character, a record of our life and a relationship with the Lord. Between birth and death, that dash we find on every tombstone in the cemetery, that is our life. For some it is long. For others, it is short. That dash represents what we do. It is school, work, dating, marriage, babies, vacations, moving, friends, worship services, ballgames, parties, weddings, funerals, good days and bad days. All of us are making a dash between the coming and going of our lives.

Third, the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. The Lord is ultimately in charge of all things. The Lord is upon the throne. We like the Lord giving. We call that blessings. He sends the rain and the sunshine. He makes things grow. The Lord gives life. The Lord provides. Every good gift, James tells us, comes from the Lord. That is awesome and amazing. The Lord also takes away. We don’t like that. We want to hold on to things. We want to keep things. Job’s words referred to all that he lost, especially his ten children. The Lord took them away. Hebrews tells us that there is a time appointed for us to die and then the judgment. We don’t like that appointment. We do all we can to miss that appointment. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Job didn’t say, “the Lord gives and Satan takes away.” He said the “Lord gives and the Lord takes away.” He understood that all things are on loan from the Lord, including our family. They do not belong to us. It is hard loosing loved ones. That messes with our faith and scrambles our thinking. Some blame God. Some get angry. Some doubt. Some don’t want to let go. There comes a time when God takes. It belongs to Him. He has that right.

Fourth, blessed be the name of the Lord. Job blessed and praised God. He didn’t do what Satan expected. Without warning, Satan hit Job very hard. Job didn’t have time to say good-bye to his children. He didn’t have time to prepare. It happened. Quickly. It happens today. A tornado. A car accident. A mishap at work. A life that was so loved and precious is over. They are gone. The Lord has taken. Job worshipped and blessed the name of the Lord.

It is easy to be a back seat driver to other families as they go through trying times. It’s easy to judge what they ought to do. It’s a hard walk when it’s your turn. Most families have to go through something like this sooner or later. It is remarkable to see those who come through and still hold on to their love of the Lord and their desire to worship and follow God. They are examples for all of us.

Many families in Moore, OK are walking in these steps today. I know other families that are walking in these steps. Our hearts wish the best for them. We pray for them. Their journey is long and hard. The pain they experience doesn’t go away. The rest of us continue to walk in sunshine, while they seem to be stuck in a dark valley. Cheap clichés are not the answer. Just giving them a Bible verse won’t immediately bring the sunshine back. Patience. Continual love. Support is what they need.

Job is amazing. I wish I could say that I would do the same. I hope that I would. It’s easy in the sunshine to say what you would do. When the wind is blowing hard, and the flood is rising and the rain is crashing against the house, then you will see if you have faith to stand.

Thank you, Lord, for the sunny days of my life. Help me, help all of us, to build that foundation of faith in you, so that when the storms come, we can stand.

Roger