“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” Job 1:20-22
The verses above provide us the reaction of Job when he learned all he had, his children, his livestock and his servants (employees) were all either dead or carried away by thieves. He lost virtually everything in just one day. His reaction was immediate distress and then the wise realization that he came into this world with nothing and he would have to leave everything behind when he eventually dies. We don’t take anything with us. Then in an even greater act of wisdom he lifts up praise to the Lord and blesses His holy name, YHWH. Whenever you see LORD in all capital letters it’s the English translation of the Hebrew personal name of God, YHWH.
Loss will come to all of us, and the blessings of this mortal life are fleeting and temporary. It’s only when you accept Christ as Lord and Savior that you can move on to Heaven taking the memories, experiences and the eternal gift of everlasting life. We cannot blame God for any of our losses, because all loss on earth is a direct reflection of the original sin of Adam and the recurrent sins of each human. We are to blame for every disaster, whether natural or man-made. We are to blame for all losses of persons and property. We are to blame for all suffering, distress and poverty. We live in a fallen and dying world that we contaminated. Job understood that and even in his horrible moments of deep distress and loss he could still praise the Lord. He praised the Lord for what he had and for what he would receive in Heaven, and through all of it he was blessing the name of the LORD.
Those of you who don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior have only the fleeting blessings of this world. After you pass on to your inevitable destination, all blessings end. The only way to Heaven is by grace through your faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and that’s the only way your blessings from God will continue. So, please consider accepting Christ if you haven’t. As 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” I don’t want you to enter an eternal lake of fire for eternity either, regardless of who you are.
React to loss as Job did, with distress, but then a realization that we came into this world without anything except the life the Lord gave us and we should praise Him for all the blessings He provides. In all things sin not, nor charge God foolishly – don’t blame God. Always bless the name of the LORD. Amen!