The general consensus amongst people who profess to serve the Almighty is that if He removes something from you, then He has a finer replacement for it, a better substitute. I personally believe that for some people this is not only a truth, but a necessity, for although if certain items were removed from their lives and not replaced with what might be considered a better alternative, if that item is never replaced in any form, they may continue to serve, but not with the same tenacity as they had before.
“And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)
Easy to read, even joyful when you consider the end of Job, but I ask this question of you. What if instead of those words coming from the lips of Job, they came instead from Lazarus at the rich man’s gate?
The life of a destitute beggar, relying on friends to deliver him where he could not go himself, in pain and suffering. And then dying in that condition.
How much more can you have removed from you than that man did?
The other most prevalent consensus among those professing His name is that the Lord would not remove those things we believe we need or have a firm grasp upon. He loves us too much to do so.
The fear of loss, of losing and never having again my friends, is so much stronger in many than giving all of it away in our hearts.
We think we need these things, they fulfill us, they entertain us, they offer us a sense of ownership, and the emotional attachment that we have towards them can be one of the greatest hindrances to dying to self.
“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1st Cor. 4:7)
All of these are excellent verses, all of them lift our spirits, give us a strength, in a sense, that truly is not in us, and will never be proven until it happens.
“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.” (Psalm 27:10)
Can you do that? Can you say to your family members who may not openly despise the name of the One you say you love, but have no desire to hear of Him, much less from you, can you say “Goodbye” to them? What of your friends who are unrepentant? Did you think I was going to say something about losing that toaster you loved so much, some materialistic item you have an emotional attachment to?
From the people in your life, to your house, family photos, that dining set that belonged to your grandmother, what if He decides to remove them, and never replace them with anything else? Destitute and alone, where death seems better than life continuing.
Still think you could be content with only food and raiment? What would you do, how would you react if everything you own, everyone you cherish was removed from you, and there was nothing left to lean on but Him? Would you wait patiently in continuous hope that there would be a better day tomorrow, a turning around of your circumstances? For the Almighty to give you seven times more?
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:” (Job 13:15a)
I do not think any of us would care to contemplate those words with any joy whatsoever if they had come from the mouth of Lazarus instead of Job. Job lived a long time after he spoke those words and received materialistic blessing that in today’s coin would have made him a billionaire, Lazarus died destitute.
How much of these truths that need to be revealed to you, and in what manner, is entirely up to your Father in heaven. No matter which way He directs your life, praise is to be our response.
Only those who trust and obey Him will hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
