BBD 11.25.03 When All Is Gone
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
(Over 9,500 subscribers in 75 countries)
11.25.03
When All Is Gone
I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. - Genesis 15:1c.
The Lord is my Shepherd…Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death. - Psalm 23:1a; 4a.
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. - John 6:68.
Job who lived in the land of Uz was a man who had it made in worldly terms.
He had a large family and was blessed with an abundance of worldly goods.
However, in a very short period of time it was all tragically taken away
from him. The bad news came and then more bad news came and more and more it
must have seemed like it would never end. The Sabeans raided killing
servants and taking away his oxen and donkeys. Then another messenger came
to report that the fire of God had fell from heaven burning up his sheep and
servants. Then the Chaldeans came killing more servants and taking Job’s
camels. Finally, it was reported to Job that his sons and daughters had been
killed when a great wind hit their home. On top of all of this bad news, Job
became horribly, terribly ill with sores over his entire body and was in
much pain.
All had been taken away from Job except for a few miserable friends and his
wife who urged him to just curse God and die. Job was about as low as you
can go and still be breathing. On top of it all his friends accused him of
being a sinner and urged him to confess his sins. They believed all the bad
things had happened because Job had committed some terrible sin. However,
Job was innocent so there was not anything to confess.
In the United States we have a great tradition of pausing once a year to
give thanks to God for His blessings during the past year. The tradition of
thanksgiving was begun over three hundred years ago. We are thankful for all
the things and worldly blessings that we have been allowed to have and to
enjoy. We should express our thanks to God not just on Thanksgiving but
every day for all He has blessed us.
Job and David as well point us to a deeper level of Thanksgiving. When all
has been taken away. When all our worldly goods and even our families are
gone. When our health has broken and we are in pain what can we be thankful
for then? David expresses it in this way, “Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death.” When we have reached the lowest of low, even
in the “valley of the shadow of death” then there is only the most important
of all left for which to be thankful. What is that? God. Underlying
everything, every blessing, every day we should be thankful for God. As God
told Abraham, “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” As Peter
said to Jesus when asked if he too was going to leave, “Lord, to whom shall
we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
When all is gone, when we are walking in the valley of the shadow of death
we still have the most important, wonderful One of all to be thankful for -
God! He is our “exceedingly great reward.”
Copyright © 2003. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
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