Blessed be the Name of the Lord

Job 1:20, 21

"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head..."

I had one of these moments last week (well, not quite like Job's). I lost my friend's guitar (which I later found); I killed the engine in my car; I got sick; and I got my wallet stolen. And you know what? It's tough. It sucks. Suffering is meant to be painful. Belief in a sovereign and good God does not take away the pain in suffering. Job was not smiling through his suffering. But belief in a sovereign and good God leads us to worship through our suffering. I'm glad the verse does not end with Job's grief. Here is how it ends:

"... and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.'"

Joy in worship is the goal, not removal of pain. Don't forget that through your suffering.