Praising God in the Midst of Loss.

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“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

Friday was not a good day.

I was working on our new house down the road, when a neighbor came driving in.  “Your garage is on fire!” he yelled.  “They have called 911!”

This explained the large plume of black smoke coming up from the direction of my Dad’s little house, and it explains what this photo is about; a pile of ashes, where the garage stood, and a scorched house.

After the fire trucks were gone and the neighbors had all gone home, I surveyed the damage and the loss.  Damage to the siding and the windows on the house, loss of everything in the garage, and damage to a nearby shed storing many of our household items.  My heart sank.

The next morning as Margaret and I were moving boxes and furniture from the shed, she noticed how upset I was.  “Are you mad at me?” she asked.  “No,” I said, “I am so upset I don’t know how I feel!”

However, by that night, after the shock had worn off, I found myself in a calm and peaceful place.  What had happened?

Job said it well in the verse above.  Faced with devastating loss, he said, “The Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In the midst of loss and grief, God’s people can still praise Him and thank Him, not just for the happy things, but for the sad things.  We can still praise Him in the midst of loss and pain.

Because God has loved you and me in Jesus, because our eternity is secure in Him our Savior, we will bless Him even in the midst of sadness.

Have you experienced loss or pain?  The Lord still reigns, and he still loves you.  He who gave up His own life, who lost all for you and me, still has you in the palm of His hands.

In the midst of loss, yes, blessed be the name of the Lord!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO