"Blessed Be the Name of the Lord"

And he said: "Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD.” - Job 1:21 (emphasis added)

All too often when we are blessed with something (be it a job position, status, wealth, health, etc.), we get proud and think it's of our own hard work or merit that got us there. We believe we must have done something good in God's eyes, or we just are that good. We forget that God is sovereign. We forget God is holy and mighty. We forget that we are nothing but a vapor that is here for a moment, then gone. We forget God can take whatever it is away from us just as quickly as He gave it to us, and that He doesn't owe us an answer as to why. Who are we to question God? Who are we to demand an answer for the Most High God? Who is the creation to tell the Creator how He must work? Who do we think we are to believe God must bless us? He's not a vending machine. He's not Santa Clause. We can't confine Him in a box or make Him do our bidding. And praise be to our Father for that!

When things are taken away from us, it's easy for most of us to quote the middle of Job 1:21 - "the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away" - but we struggle when it comes to the end of that verse - "blessed be the name of the Lord." Many ask, "How can I praise God during _____?" My question: How can you and I refrain from praising Him, especially during the hard times? Our Lord is worthy of praise and glory. He is a thrice holy God (Isaiah 6:3), sovereign (Psalm 115:3), King of kings and Lord of lords. Our God is terrible and mighty, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). The only reason we are here today is by His goodness and grace. Without Him we are nothing. We are fully dependent upon Him. He is God, and we are not. Praise and blessing be to our Father forever!