“Job 1:22 (NIV) In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing”.

A friend shared the above scripture with me recently, and immediately, the part which states, “In all this…” jumped out at me.

The story of Job is known to many of us, and we understand that Job was an individual who had everything going for him. He possessed immense wealth, a loving family, good health, and an incredible relationship with God. These are four pillars that many individuals covet to obtain throughout their lives, and Job had all of them simultaneously and in abundance. Oh, what a man blessed by God. But as Mike Tyson once said:

“When you are favored by God, you are also going to be favoured by the Devil”.

Because of his walk with God, the Devil started to favour Job and requested of the Heavenly Father that he be stripped of his blessings. One would think God would not grant the devil’s request, but He did. Our Heavenly Father uses “Burdens as well as Blessings to Birth Betterment in us”. Therefore, in a single moment, all his blessings were taken away from him. He was left with poverty, sickness, loneliness, and loss, and it appeared like God had abandoned him. Oh, what a sharp contrast to moments before. Life sure has a way of just upending us.

Imagine if everything you hold dear was suddenly taken away without warning or explanation. What would you do? Would you still have faith in God, as Job did, and say, “In all this, I will still serve the Lord”? This is the pure depth of Christian character right there! Being tested when we have abundance to see if we will remain faithful is one thing. But to have the things you love taken from you and be placed in a state of lack. My brother, and my sister, this type of trail cuts differently.

Now, let’s build a scenario for loss. Let’s say this morning you visited the doctor and found out you had cancer. Later that day, you got a call that both your wife and children lost their lives in a car accident, and then your boss gave you a notice of retrenchment while leaving work, then while driving home, you see smoke in the air, only to realise, that it is your home that is burning to the ground. If this happened to you, I don’t think the average person would praise and worship God as Job did below:

Job 1:20-22 (NIV) 20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and 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.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

What kind of man says this in moments of loss like this? His response makes me want to meet Job face-to-face to better understand his thinking and approach to Christian living.

Some of us might hold out for one trial before breaking; others might hold out until two trials occur; others might hold out for three tests; who knows? So, the question is, what is your breaking point as testing and trials are added to your life? Do you have the patience and faith to keep saying, “In all this, I am still going to worship and praise God”? That’s the million-dollar question.

You cannot say, “In all this…” if you feel like giving up. You might have to say, “In some of this…”, or “In Certain aspects of this…” I will serve God. No one knows their breaking point until they are tested. This is why I like Job so much. In a test of all tests, he passed with flying colours.

Just like impurities in a metal can only be exposed by using heat and hammering the metal. Be aware that burdens and blessings are God’s hammer of choice. The thing is, some of us want to run from this hammer, hide from this hammer, and avoid this hammer. But may I remind you that this hammer is the hand of the Lord, or the hand of the devil, which has been approved by the hand of the Lord. This is not to be feared because if you do, you say, “I don’t want the impurities out, Lord, don’t test MY metal”.

I can tell you that I had my Job experience. I did not have the full measure of what he went through of having four key things removed simultaneously, but trust me when I say my one felt like four (4). Removing this one thing had me out of sorts for some time. It had me saying. “In some of this I would serve God” and not definitively proclaiming, “In all this I would serve God”. That one thing felt like everything was taken from me; such was the impact. But what I have come to realise is that when everything is taken from you, ONLY GOD remains, and He is enough.

When everything of value is stripped away from you, only God is what remains. He was in the beginning before time and will be in the ending after time. So, my friend, I repeat to you what God has said to me, “Dane, I, the Heavenly Father, will always remain”. When friends, family, favour, and finances forsake you, I, the Father, will never leave or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV ). In essence, God told me that I should always look closely at what will remain – Him. To see Him you will have to realign your focus upward and only upward.

Everything in life will be taken from us: our parents, children, wealth, health, etc, it just depends on the timing. As our faces differ, our timings will differ. If it is not taken from us during our life, it will be taken from us in death. Yes, everything we have in life will be taken from us when we die, and all that will remain is God. If we stay with Him while we live on earth, we will remain with Him in eternity.

This is what I think Job was thinking when catastrophe hit; he was thinking, God is still with me, and once God is still with me, all will be well. But if I let go of God, I will let go of everything.

My encouragement today is for the person reading this blog: don’t let go of God and lose everything.  Remember, everything can and will let go of you, but you don’t let go of God. For when all is gone, only God will remain, and once God remains, you can be restored, and you will regain and once again reign.

PS: Dane Miller was last seen thinking and saying “ Every God-ordained experience is worth having.”

Your Brother in the Lord,

Dane Miller – “God is the Author, I am the Pen”

Authored Book – What is the Woman Saying – Lessons from Biblical Women.

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