Doubly Thankful

“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.”” (Job 1:21)

When people give us things—-things we want, we should be thankful. All across the world, mothers drum that truth into the minds of their children. We should even give thanks when people give us an unwanted gift—say a geeky, out of fashion jumper, or an ugly tie. It’s the thought that counts. Right?

Job’s gratitude, however, is truly revolutionary. He give thanks when God denudes his life of the wealth of property, the laughter of children, and the sweet glow of health. Such gratitude needs a deeper foundation than the momentary enrichment gifts normally add to the soul. Such gratitude finds its root in the divine right of God to do as He pleases in the sphere of His creation. Especially, when the beggars he blesses are sinners.

We come into this world with nothing but the life God gave. God gave us each existence, and we have no right to demand anything more. Being itself is an immeasurable privilege. But God did give us more—much more. The warm, ready hands of a mother embraced us. Her heart enveloped us. Most of us also had the kind benevolence of a father to shield us against many of life’s sharp edges. Soft, clean clothes covered our nakedness. The sturdy walls of a home protected us from the elements. We had ample food and drink to sustain us. More than enough, our meals were usually warm, fresh, and delicious. Our lips welcomed a thousand glorious tastes: Butter melting on crisp toast, a ripe peach dripping with juice, bacon sizzling on a skillet, the golden, oozing yoke of an over-medium egg, cooked to perfection, cheddar cheese on crackers. The list goes on. We matured in the shadow of true friendship, alive with laughter, kind with concern, tender with fellow-feeling. When many spend their years racked in pain and crippled with handicap, we thrived in health, moved with ease, and slept without difficulty.

These are all God’s gifts. We did not deserve them. We had no right to them. But He gave them anyway. Mostly, we took them for granted. Only rarely did we stop to say, “Thank you!” How quickly we complain when the power goes out, we catch a cold, or snag a new cardigan on a nail. We feel entitled and justly disappointed. But we forget ourselves: Freely we have received, and freely God can take all—and by all, I mean: Every last one of these blessings away.

When this became Job’s lot, he bowed his head in worship and gave thanks. This was right because Job was a creature. It was doubly right because he was also a sinner. Did you catch that acknowledgement: Job lives life secure in the knowledge of death? He came from the darkness of the womb, and he is headed back to the black, stillness of the grave. Sin alone explains this circle. Death is just (Rom 6:23). And while there is life, God holds back the one thing he really ought to give us all. So while we breathe, there is not only hope, there is also a reason for gratitude. Job seems to get this—God has taken many of His gifts away, but He has yet to take them all away. Job is still a recipient of mercy. He still has a reason for gratitude. Don’t we all?

As you emerge from another day of Thanksgiving, take a moment to list all the things that make your life more than just bearable. Acknowledge each of them as gifts given to the hell-deserving. Imagine your life without them. Close your eyes. Picture God taking all these things away, one by one. As each one disappears out of reach, picture yourself worshipping God alongside Job. At last, you find yourself alone, suspended in the darkness, without even the comfort of ground beneath your feet. Still you have cause to say, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord; He has not dealt with me as my sin deserves!”

Now, open your eyes once more and look afresh at the world about you. Drink in the color, absorb the sounds, and bask in the grace. Isn’t it a glorious time to be alive in the mercy of God? But it gets better. Our best days are yet ahead. Soon Christ shall come and make all things new—and, when He does, what a wonderful world it will be…