Day 16~ Our God who Gives and Takes Away

Sometimes in life, God may take things away from us.

It may be a family member or a relationship, we may miss an oppertunity or maybe we may face loss in some other very personal way to us and our life's journey.

Firstly, we must remember that loss of all kinds happen to everyone at some point in their lives and certainly, we're not alone.

Secondly, we must remember that our God is the God who gives and takes away.

The way I see it, God would never take anything away from us if it's not in our best interest, although sometimes it may seem unfair.

If we're talking about unfair, we can look once more at Job's story, he was faithful to God yet, one thing after another happened to him. Job lost almost everything he had in a matter of seconds but his attitude was very noteworthy.

Job 1:21 says this;

"The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!"

Now, this certainly is not the attitude we expect someone who just lost all their children, lifestock and good health to have. Yet for all, there is something to learn from Job's reaction, and that is that we must praise God even when we're going through difficulties in our lives, knowing that he is still good in spite of our ever changing circumstances.

No matter what we may be facing in life, we must remember, our God is the one who provides for us and he is the one who takes things away from us and he does this to our advantage and to his glory.

The good news is, God will never take something away from you without having a bigger plan in store for you and he will never give you something that you can't handle.

By the end of Job, thanks to his loyalty and faithfulness to God,God doubled what Job had at the beginning of the book.

Now, it's up to us to have this mentality, knowing and believing that God only gives us what we can handle and takes away the things which are harming us more than helping us.

Job 2:10 says this,

"When God sends us something good, we welcome it. How can we complain when he sends us trouble?"

We can tell from these words that Job's faith is very strong. 

How?

Well only a person of faith understands that whether God sends us something good or something bad, he can use each one to our advantage! So why should we complain when we know that God will bring us out victorious in the long run?

In the case of losing a family member or loved one though, we must remember that God is loving and kind and perhaps he took them away because their purpose had been fulfilled and so they wouldn't have to suffer. 

Also, God knows that you are stronger than you believe and that you can still live a beautiful and happy life without them present.

I know that loss of any kind can be difficult, but God can give you double for your sorrow. He is, after all, the God who gives.

So trust in God and his wisdom and kindness because he will take care of you. Remain hopeful and at peace because your Father is the Almighty God who Gives and Takes Away.