Job 1:21 “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord”.
It is not easy to praise in the middle of a loss. Most times we will not have a rational or logical explanation for the loss. “Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than holding on” – Eckhart Tolle. God doesn’t expect us to rejoice for the loss but mature through the pain. As we get to know God and His nature, we will understand that He is very much present in the pain as much as He is in our gain. He doesn’t cause suffering but He is not absent in the testing.
How we process a defeat or bad news will reveal the treasures of our heart. “We may not like to admit it, but what if our crushing is necessary in order for our potential to be fulfilled?”— T.D. Jakes. Crushing the grapes produces wine. As long as the bunch of grapes is untouched, healthy, juicy and succulent it cannot produce wine. It must be crushed. The shelf life of grapes is 3 weeks but the shelf life of the wine is 3 years. Crushing makes us valuable and useful in God’s kingdom. So let go of what is precious and look forward to God’s 1st best.
God’s crushing wheel:
1. Sit: Setbacks, suffering or unexpected shocks are God’s crushing process not to break us but to build us. At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship. (Job 1:20). The news about the loss of his livestock, burglary of his camels and the tornado that killed his children shattered Job, yet he fell at the feet of the Lord. When we don’t understand what we are going through, we must just sit still in His presence. Run to Him not away from Him.
2. Smirch: The most painful process in the crushing would be the smirch and guilt. We would tend to blame ourselves for the loss. If we are strong enough to see the hand of God protecting us even in the dark defeat, there will be people who would slather us with shame His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9). The woman embittered by the loss of her children insinuated suicide as the pain-relief to the crushing! Don’t give-in to smirch/guilt.
3. Sour: Sour unripe grapes do not become sweeter once they are removed from the vine. They have to remain in the vine to get sweeter. Likewise, if a disappointment severs our relationships with God and hinders our quiet time, Bible reading or one-on-one with God, it will make our soul sour and embittered. Outside His presence we will become sour, acidic and angry.
After the crushing, God gave back a double portion of all that Job lost.
Job 42:12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.
Prayer: Papa God, when I don’t understand the reason for the loss, help me to lean on your heart and listen to your heartbeat. Amen
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