The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.
—Job 1:21
Blameless. Upright. Honors God. Avoids evil. That’s Job’s God-stated Bio (Jb 1:8).
Job had a big family, lots of land and livestock, and more money than Midas.
In a single day, he lost it all: dug ten graves for his children, lost all his wealth—and his health. “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised,” he said (Jb 1:21).
How could he respond to adversity that way? Three things:
He looked up—acknowledged God’s sovereignty (Jb 2:10; 42:2).
He looked ahead—confirmed his confidence in resurrection and future life (Jb 19:26).
He looked within—confessed his limited human perception (Jb 42:2–3).
What should you do when you’re hammered by the unexpected, unpredictable, and unexplainable? Look up. Look ahead. Look within.
We know little. God knows all.