It’s always great when God replaces something painful with something wonderful. Or when He provides for a need in a context of desperation.
But what about when God takes away something we enjoy—or even something we need? Or when He allows something bad to invade something good?
(Photo: by Hariadhi. Own work, GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
Can we then say what Job 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. —Job 1:21
During the times when God takes something away from you, it’s easy to feel duped, as if God was some kind of pusher, giving free samples and then removing them after the cravings have their hooks in your heart.
The Lord’s generosity can be misunderstood as cruelty.
Rather than praise God for the time we enjoyed His blessings—we tend to resent His sovereign prerogative to confiscate them.
Here’s some perspective that can help when God takes something away from you that was a blessing.
Times of Removal
During the times of removal we discover, sadly, that Satan’s accusation is often right on the money: “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (Job 1:9).
Put your name in Job’s place and see how accurate the statement becomes: “Does Wayne fear God for nothing?”
Honestly, I’d really hate to find out.
(Photo by Prosavage2600, CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
What do our raw emotions reveal about our hearts when God takes away something wonderful?
- When the Lord gives and then takes away it can betray an inordinate affection for the gift rather than for the Giver.
- The reaction after the removal could reveal that we view God as One who merely dispenses blessings rather than One who has as His primary concern our holiness.
A Helpful Perspective When God Takes Something Away from You
If we find ourselves constantly waiting on God to bring us into a season of blessing again (heaven notwithstanding), it may be that the initial blessing only came to reveal how addicted to blessings we have become.
There is a huge difference between waiting on God’s blessings and waiting on God.
We may feel it’s the same, but it isn’t.
Tell me what you think: What did you (or do you) learn when God takes something away from you? To leave a comment, just click here.
Like This Post? Get the Whole Book!
This post is adapted from Wayne’s book, Waiting on God: What to Do When God Does Nothing.
• What do you do when the life God has promised you looks nothing like the life he has given you?
• If you find yourself waiting on God—or if you don’t know what God wants you to do next—this book offers a wise and practical guide to finding hope and peace in life’s difficult pauses.
You will discover what to do when it seems God does nothing.