The exact same view today...the view all day. As in all morning, all afternoon, aaaaallll day long--
Okay, Lord, I'm not feeling particularly thankful for all the rain, rain, rain, and fog, fog, fog...but here's where the rubber meets the road, isn't it? Am I only grateful for the gifts...or am I infinitely more grateful for the Giver? Is it all about "Thank You Lord for this blessing and that blessing"...or is it, "Thank You Lord for any blessing You choose to give or to withhold, because You are my greatest treasure of treasures." What does it take to move me from gratitude to grumbling? And surely it's not something as utterly inconsequential as the weather?
As I sat here feeling just the slightest bit grumpy--and convicted--Job and his wife came to mind. You remember Job's good old wife, don't you? This couple had lost everything, and I mean everything. All their children, all their worldly goods, and finally even Job's health. I'd venture to say none of us have ever endured as much unrelenting pain and mystifying loss as righteous Job and his wife.
So, Job's wife finally responds...and I'm reminded of the quip (from Calvin Coolidge or someone like that) that we will never get in trouble for words we don't speak. "Then his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.' But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips." (Job 2:9-10)
Now before we get up on our high horse and condemn Job's wife, we've got to remember that Job's wife had lost everything--including every single one of her children. I cannot imagine. And then on top of all that, she was watching the man that she loved most in the world endure horrific, unrelenting physical suffering. Her words were utterly wrong, but still, mercy, what tragedies she had endured.
Yet look at Job's response: "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" Or earlier, right after learning about all these horrible losses, Job declares, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21)
Wow. I simply cannot imagine such faithfulness, and Job's words convict me to the core. How quickly I can shift into the ugly and ungrateful "what have You done for me lately Lord" mode when things don't go my way. To paraphrase the great old hymn, "Prone to grumble, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the One I love. Take my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Your courts above."
Sometimes the Lord sends us sunny days...and sometimes rain. Sometimes success...and sometimes failure. Sometimes good health...and sometimes sickness. Sometimes fulfilled dreams...and sometimes bitter disappointments. Sometimes happy answers to prayer...and sometimes His "Not yet" or even "No" (because He knows best).
But the Lord's in it all, working through it all, and using it all for our ultimate good, for His greater glory. We may not see it this side of heaven, but like Job, we trust...we rest...and we rejoice in Him.
So this day, Lord, we choose to give you thanks and praise for whatever You choose to give and whatever You choose to withhold. You make no mistakes and You do all things well, so we place our trust and our hope in You.
"For all that has been, thank You. For all that is to come, yes." (Dag Hammarskjold)
Thank You, Father. And yes. To God be the glory.
No comments:
Post a Comment