Walking With Christ

Yesterday, I included a bit about “The good Lord giveth. The good Lord taketh away.” Everyone always talks about the things that the good Lord giveth. We often overlook the things that the good Lord taketh away. I think it’s human nature to think of the second part in a negative way. Is that always the case, though?

Joseph was sold into slavery. He lost everything he had ever known.
Genesis 45:4-5 (4)So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. (5)And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.(ESV)
God used that situation to work through Joseph to save his family and thus the future of the nation of Israel.

Saul lost his sight for three days.
Acts 9:8-9 (8)Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. (9)And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.(ESV)
Jesus showed him the error of his ways and then took away his past and made him new. Saul became Paul in one of the most dramatic and complete transformations in the bible. Through Saul, there was only pain, destruction, persecution, and death. Through Paul, most of the new testament was written and millions, if not billions, have been introduced to the radically transformative grace of God.

Job lost everything. It was taken from him in some truly tragic ways.
Job 42:10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.(ESV)
After Job repented of his sin and prayed for his friends, God restored double what Job began with. The trials were not for nothing.

After the crucifixion, the disciples were all afraid. They truly believed that just knowing Jesus would be enough for them all to receive the same fate as Jesus. The fear controlled their lives and robbed them of any life they had.
John 20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”(ESV)
Jesus returned to the disciples and proclaimed peace over them. He spoke the holy spirit into them.

Faith replaces doubt. Trust replaces fear. Hope replaces empty longing. A rich fullness replaces the emptiness of self. Wisdom replaces foolishness. This isn’t to say that every loss is caused by God. On the contrary, this is to prove that despite loss, God is working on our behalf to grow and prosper us for the kingdom and His glory. Not every loss is a bad thing. Regardless of the reason for the loss, whether it is self-inflicted or not, it can hurt in the moment. It may not make sense. It can cause pain, confusion, doubt, fear, anxiety, and more. On the other side of the loss is God’s glory and the pathway to getting there must go through grace being led by the spirit in faith. Through this process there will be growth. What grows depends on what seeds were planted.