The day Job lost his 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels and 500 oxen and 500 donkeys and all but three of his servants and all seven of his children, he “tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’”1 Hmm. I think the only reason Job was able to say this was that he had the proper perspective of the good things in his life: 1) he knew the good things/people in his life were not really his, and therefore 2) he held on to them loosely, and most importantly 3) he had settled this in his heart long before that catastrophic day.
What a great way—and the proper way—to live. Let’s take a look at Job’s philosophy.
- “The Lord gave.” This is where we must begin. The good things in our lives are gifts—we have not earned them; we do not necessarily deserve them; we do not own them but are managers of them. James tells us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.”2 Why is it so important to view the goodness in our lives as gifts? Because a “good gift,” “every perfect gift” is one that is thoughtful. It has been given to us with us in mind. We not only love those kinds of gifts, we cherish them. And they give us great pleasure and they have a specific purpose designed for us specifically, which is why they are the “perfect gift.” Job loved his life. He loved his work and was very good at it for he “was the greatest of all the people of the east.”3 And he loved his children and “would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all”4 in case they had “sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did continually.”4 But he knew all these things were gifts from God and not his own.
- “And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.’” This is where we must settle. The gifts in our lives are temporary. They come and they go. Which is why we must hold on loosely to them, but don’t let go. If we cling too tightly we’re gonna’ lose control (as the song by 38 Special warns)! Why would that happen? It seems the tighter we cling the more likely we would be in control. But this is not true. For the writer of Hebrews tells us that we are to “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.”5 Because when we cling too tightly, the good thing we have been given becomes a “weight,” which will slow us down as we try to “run with endurance the race that is set before us.”5 We must loosen the grip from our good gifts and be willing to let them go when it is time, understanding they were never ours to begin with but only gifts that we were to manage properly while they were under our charge.
- “And the Lord takes away.” This is where we rest. We must let God be God. When we question his actions, we question his omniscience—his power to know what is best. And this understanding must be resolute in our hearts before the storms in our lives come. For if these things are not settled, then we will be tossed around by those storms “for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”6 The storm is not the time to question God’s omniscience or omnipotence because we cannot think clearly but are simply trying to survive. Instead, we must settle these things in our hearts before the storms and then when they come, we can rest in the knowledge that “the Lord himself goes before us and will be with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.”7 And since we are firmly planted in that knowledge, we can heed his advice: “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”7
And that, my friends, is how to not only live our daily lives but weather the storms when they come. And what a relief—to truly know that whatever happens, God is in charge and he loves us with an unending love. When we look upon our good things as gifts from our God who knows what we need and hold on to them loosely, then we can join Job in saying, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
1Job 1:20-21 2James 1:17 3Job 1:3 4Job 1:5 5Hebrews 12:1 6James 1:6 7Deuteronomy 31:8
