He GIVES and TAKES AWAY.

Job 1:21: "...the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."


So the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.
But wait. Does God ever really take away?
True, to us it would sometimes appear that He does.

Sometimes it feels like there is more bad than good in our lives.
Sometimes we are bombarded with trial after trial, and it can be hard to praise God when your life feels like it's falling apart.

But God's ways are higher than ours. God has a different perspective than we do. Is a loss to us always a loss in the grand scheme of things?

No. It isn't.

Many wonder, "how can there be a God if bad things happen to good people?"
Friends, God does everything for a reason. We can't always see what the reason is, but I promise that we become better people through our trials.
One day, after our earth life is long over and we have a much better perspective, we will understand why God does what He does.

I praise a God who GIVES me so many amazing things. My family and my heart and my emotions. I praise a God who gives beauty and love so freely. I praise a God who gives life.

And still, I will praise a God who TAKES AWAY. A God who is omnipotent and a God who sees all. I will praise Him when times get hard, because I know that He is mighty to save. I know that He knows what He is doing.


So can we worship a God who would let bad things happen? A God who would let people be taken from the earth early, a God who would let us feel sorrow sometimes?
Absolutely.

I will praise Him, my friend and my teacher. He always knows best.
He understands things that I never could.


Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns



Remember that all things will eventually work together for our good.

So join with me in lifting my hands always to the God who gives and takes away.


Haley.