Job 1:21 “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.”

This is a well known verse, but obviously not well enough known, and certainly not well enough understood. The principle here has come out again and again in reading about God’s gifts, but we have the hardest time accepting emotionally the reality that absolutely everything comes from God. That is the biggest sticking point for the vast majority of atheists. They don’t want to admit that God exists, particularly as a Creator who is intimately interested in His creation, because that makes them accountable to Him. That is what they are rebelling against, not some logical construct. The more vocal they are, the more obvious it is. I saw a comment just recently that if atheists honestly believed God didn’t exist, then there would be no reason for them to make a fuss, because it wouldn’t matter. I forget who it was, perhaps C. S. Lewis, that pointed out that if God doesn’t exist, we lose nothing of value by believing He does; but that if He does exist, we lose everything by failing to believe it. It’s the whole issue of accountability that trips people up. The idea that at the end of our physical lives we are going to have to answer for every word, every action, is justly terrifying to any thinking person. That’s why it is such good news that God understood our condition and sent His own Son to take the penalty for our sin and rebellion, so that those who trust in Him are declared as innocent as He is when they are judged. To come back to this verse, there is tremendous release in acknowledging God’s sovereignty all the way down to the core of our being. We are able to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him regardless of our circumstances.

As well as I know this in theory, I still have occasional hiccups in practice! The only thing worth clinging to is Jesus, because when we are centered on Him, He will give us the desires of our heart. (Psalm 37:4) Particularly at this time of year the stresses can be quite high because of all the demands on my time, and this year is certainly no exception. I’ve got to walk in active, preemptive trust, thanking God before I see how things work out. Today is a workshop in that, since I have a full schedule, but for unknown reasons am feeling physically drained before the day starts. I need to delight in the reality that His grace is all I need, just as Paul learned to do. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Father, thank You for this reminder this morning. Thank You that You are indeed faithful in every detail, and that I have no reason to be anxious about anything. I do ask Your anointing for my teaching this morning, and I ask You to go ahead of me as I go this afternoon to make the second try at submitting the final paperwork for our church registration. Thank You that Your plans for today and each day are good. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You so that I may follow those plans, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!