“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” - Job 1:21 (NIV)
Praising God is easy when all is going well. But it is a difficult thing to praise God when a calamity strikes one, an innocent person suffers a disastrous event. In the passage above a man of God, Job, had through a mischievous wager just been hit with a wave of misfortunes. From losing his entire livestock to the hand of misfortune brought on by the enemy, Satan, had moved on to wipe out his entire family (Job 1). Once a life on high had been leveled to its knees.
What makes the story of Job so enduring and comforting was his response. Our attitudes can in many ways determine how we come out of a misfortune. Job remained positive. His friends thought there was something wrong with him. His wife thought he should just curse God and die (Job 2:9). No!
Job’s response was different. Pushed to the wall, unable to make sense of all that was happening and unfolding, all he did was raise up his hands and give praise to the Father in heaven. As the Psalmist says, “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of life you will bring me up” (Psalm 71:2, NIV)
Prayer for today: Lord Father in heaven, in the mighty name of Jesus of Nazareth, today I pray that whatever the misfortunes that come my way I do rise up to praise you in good and bad times!
Related upcoming events
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28/04/2024 - 29/04/2024 All day"The Lord is my shepherd!" (Psalm 23:1)
Psalm 23 of David is perhaps one of the best prayers ever written, with nuggets and inspirations, of benefit to us since and
ever before. “The LORD is my shepherd, “David begins.” I lack nothing” (vv 1). What is it that you lack? In his life David had started out as a shepherd, and he knew very well, that a shepherd’s job is to watch over his sheep, feed and water them, and since the Lord is our shepherd, we his sheep shall lack nothing.Verse 2 -3 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” This exactly what a good shepherd does; he takes his sheep to the best fodder, ensuring that his sheep are well fed and rested. When the sheep are restless the good shepherd is troubled. Our God desires and is pleased when we are at peace.
Sometimes we may all find ourselves going through a storm. In Verse 4- 5, David says, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The Christian life is not without difficulties, but here David points us to God as our comforter and deliverer. We always have the staff of prayer to lean on.
In Verse 5, he writes, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” In his tumultuous life, David had to battle with many enemies, ranging from King Saul, to foreigners and members of his own family. He knew a lot about betrayal. And, we too, may face enemies no less, from those that oppose us in our workplace for their ambition’s sake, to those who are not pleased because of the Gospel we preach. Yet here, just as David, we are assured that victory is on our side- this is why our cup overflows.
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (vv 6). The one who walks with God has a fresh smile ever, for God is with him. The blessings of God are with him wherever he goes.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham,
maker of heaven and earth, as David prayed in Psalm 23, may I not be troubled, for you are my shepherd ever watching over me and your goodness goes ahead of me!
