Recently we sang the song “Blessed Be His Name” in my church. As in the story of Job, one part of the song conveys the words that God gives and takes away. I have to admit this part always bothered me. It always seemed so harsh to me that God took away Job’s family and home, that God takes away anything good.
But as I grow closer to Him, I’m realizing that often what we cling to as good isn’t God’s best. (I’m not referring to Job here.) I’ve also learned that anytime God removes something from my life, even if it’s something that seems good, it’s for my best or for a greater good.
Unfortunately, the idea of giving something up for a greater good doesn’t fly well in today’s philosophy of pursuing happiness. The idea of sacrificing something for someone we love is considered repugnant when it means we can’t have what we want too.
Ironically, the very act of sacrificial love brings more satisfaction and fulfillment because we’re ultimately serving God, not ourselves. But it’s not easy. Especially in our mismatched marriages, it can be downright painful. Those are the times that try our faith and make it the most difficult to keep our eyes on God and trust him in our situation and circumstances.
But like Job, those are the times that call us to stand the strongest in our faith and hold on to God for dear life. What I want to tell you is that God is faithful. He will reward those times, as he did Job who lost so much but wound up with even more than we he had to start with.
The key is in trusting God completely and knowing that he only desires what’s best in our lives. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy, comfortable, or even rewarding at first. But I’ve found over time, that these are also the times that bring growth, change and miracles.
I think living a surrendered life is our greatest challenge in life and in our mismatched marriages, but that’s the life that speaks the loudest of God’s presence.
Praying and believing,
Dineen
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