God gives and takes away

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21
These words might sound familiar to you, if not because you’ve read the book of Job before, but for the popular worship song ‘Blessed be Your name’ by Matt Redman. Here at the start of the book of Job we read how Satan accused Job of only being faithful to God because God was protecting him, so God allowed Satan to take away all his possessions. Job lost everything – his oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, and servants (all indicative of his wealth), and even his sons and daughters. Job did mourn (Job 1:20), but he also acknowledged that he had come into the world with nothing, and everything he had, he only had because God had given it to him.
We would do well to realise the source of everything we have. If God gives us nothing else in life – or if He allows everything we have to be taken from us, He is still God and worthy to be praised. Living with this in mind allows us to have a loose hold on the things of the world, so that our faith is not shaken when troubles come our way. It allows us to say, “God, I might not understand why these things are happening, but I know that You are in control of it all, and I trust You in it.”