“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21b, NKJV).
My heart ached. My eyes were tear-swollen. It felt like I couldn’t breathe, and I honestly wasn’t sure there was any sort of happy ending in my future.
But still I whispered the words, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
It had become a spiritual discipline for me—this offering up of praise in the midst of the pain. Sometimes the words felt torn from my soul, but I meant them.
I needed them. Perhaps you need them, too.
We need them to acknowledge that our God is in control of what seems like chaos. We need them to acknowledge that God is holy and sovereign and fully trustworthy. We need them to remember that God is with us in moments when we feel terribly alone.
Friend, are you in a season of deep suffering or fear? Let me lovingly invite you to join me in declaring that God is holy and worthy to be praised. (Psalm 145:3)
Sometimes, dear one, praise hurts. Sometimes it is truly a “sacrifice of praise” being offered from our hearts and from our lips. (Hebrews 13:15) We feel anything but thankful for our circumstances. But our feelings are not our truth. As believers, our truth is the reality of Jesus.
In those moments, we can echo Job, who in his deepest distress cried out, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21b, NKJV).
This declaration of God’s holiness will not remove our pain, but it will shift our gaze to the One who will one day wipe away every tear. (Revelation 21:4)
Until next time,
Shelby
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