Adoration of God Through Heartache
Wednesday’s Verse:
From Job 1:21 ESV
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Job says these words after losing everything, yet he doesn’t try to diminish the tragedy or lessen his mourning. He declares what is real: we come into this world with nothing, and we’ll leave it the same.
As Lutherans, this verse reminds us of the theology of the cross: God is not present in pat answers, but in His promise through suffering. Job doesn’t try to understand God; he praises Him. That is faith stripped down to its rawest form.
This verse also serves as a lesson that praise is not the opposite of lament. Job isn’t declaring that his losses are blessings, or that his pain doesn’t sting. Rather, he says that the Lord remains Lord even when He takes what He gives, and God’s name is still worthy of blessing even when life makes no sense. Only by grace can we make that confession.
Satan believed that after being hit with so many losses, Job would curse God and leave him, but he was surprised by Job’s remarkable adoration of God. This shows us that his mourning is a perfect reminder for all of us that, through our faith, we can overcome sadness and pain.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord God, when we come to You with empty hands and broken hearts, teach us to trust as Job trusted in You. Grant us the grace to mourn without denial, to worship in humility, and to bless Your name in everything. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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