Praise God Anyhow!

Job 1:21

21and he said, "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 was an extremely wealthy man both materially and spiritually. He was known in the land of Uz and in the East for being a great a man. Job was a man who walked upright in the sight of God. In short, Job had favor with both God and men. In this scripture, Job received the news that he lost all his children in one blow. That is enough to dishearten anyone and bring them to a place of anger and resentment. But not Job. Job recognized that he came into the world with nothing and when he was to depart there was nothing he could take with him. That acknowledgement alone speaks volumes. Many are so fixed on what has been acquired during life here on earth that it is easy to forget that this place is not the final destination and nothing acquired here can be taken to the final destination but that of one's heart. And more importantly, Job recognized that God is the giver and only God gives the authorization for anything to be taken. Many of you know the story that Satan did not see anyone who was worthy of being tested but God said, "Have you considered my servant Job?" God thought enough of Job as an upright man that surely even when Satan put him to the test, he would still praise and serve God. After losing all seven of his children, Job still praised God! That is a lesson for everyone. In the midst of your trial, whether it is losing someone or something, praise God anyhow! Why praise God in the midst of loss and tragedy? Because first of all, God considers you worthy enough to be tested. God considers enough of your character, your faith, your love for Him for a test or tests to even come. And even more so, He knows that when the test or tests are complete, you will come out with greater faith, greater praise than you did before you went into the test. And for Job's faithfulness during the test, he received greater materially after then he had before he walked into the test. What does God desire more than anything? He desires to be worshiped and praised and that's why you were created. To worship and praise Him with your life and every gift that He has placed within you. Your test always leads to greater, even if it doesn't seem like greater to you because of a loss, it's greater to God because more is gained than meets the eye. At the end of Job's test, not only did he receive greater, but his friends even learned something and were brought to a greater understanding and appreciation of God. So no matter what your circumstance, just PRAISE GOD ANYHOW!!