Satan then returned to accuse, saying that the reason that Job holds his integrity is because he was not harmed. That a man will give anything for his life. The Lord gave it to Satan to harm Job but not take his life. Satan smote Job with boils that covered his body. Job sat on the ashes of what he once had and scraped his boils with a potsherd. Job’s wife came and said to him, “Curse God and die.” However, Job said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”
I have been thanking about this lately because I have had much loss during the past year. I have by no means lost everything but I have lost much of what is dear to me. My wife and I spent many years raising two children, neither of whom are following the Lord. I wore a mask at work and when I went into a store. I avoided public gathering, accept I went to the church on Sunday mornings. My wife and I sat on a pew separated from others and would depart after the service with very little contact with others. I spent the year feeling alone and isolated. Despite all of this, I became infected with covid-19 sars and was at home isolated from family and friends on Christmas day.
“Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”
How shall I give thanks to the Lord when I have loss. It is not because I contracted covid-19 that I lament but it is the isolation and my children being worldly that I lament. Shall I follow the advice of Job’s wife, “Curse God and die.” Or shall I say, “Naked I came into this world and naked I leave. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed is the name of the Lord?”
The Lord is sovereign, he is on the throne of God no matter what is occurring in our lives. It is easy to give thanks and say, “Blessed is the name of the Lord,” when all is going well, but can you say it during adversity?
