Monday's follow-up to Sunday's message: The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. What the heck was He thinking?

The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.

Trite saying.  Something we quote every so often when it seems appropriate.  But nothing that we really mean.

What we really mean is that if God decides to take something away from you, then you should just learn to accept it.  When He decides to take something away from me, however, then The Almighty owes me an explanation.  A reason.  An answer.  And make it snappy, God!

Have you ever thought about how weak your faith must be if you demand answers from God before you can be satisfied with Him first giving and then taking away a gift?  How you must have sincere doubts as to whether or not God is truly good?  Have you thought that behind your pious words about faith and trust there lies a sneaking suspicion that God is really just out to mess with you after all?

Do we believe God is truly good?

Do we believe that when He gives it is good? 

Do we believe that when He takes away, it is also good?

No . . . no . . . if we’re going to be honest, we must admit that we don’t always believe that.  But when we have doubts about God playing a cosmic game of Candid Camera with our lives, we must remember that we have God’s own promise in Romans 8:28 that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

I don’t suppose that anyone standing on Mount Calvary around 2000 years ago looked upon the cross and said, “Oh yes . . . this is good.”  God’s good design and plan was hidden beneath a mask of suffering and confusion.  The goodness of His plan wasn’t immediately apparent.  And yet we can look back today and with bold faith declare the cross of Jesus Christ as the pinnacle of God’s goodness: the day He delivered you and I from sin, from death, from the devil.  The good gift of God was delivered wrapped in an ugly package that none of us would have chosen, and yet we thank and praise Him for choosing to give us such a priceless gift. 

It’s curious, isn’t it?  It’s almost like God perhaps knows what is good for us better than we do ourselves.

When God works, it is always good.  Period.  End of story.  God is good.  He only works in good ways, He only gives the good kind of gifts, He only has good plans for us.  So when He gives a gift, we thank Him for the good gift He has given.  When He chooses to take it away, we thank Him for the time we had the gift and also thank Him for the good gift He is preparing to give us to replace the one He had taken.

We thank Him because He is much better than the gift.  Because we love Him much more than the gift.  And because we trust His understanding of what is “good” much more than we trust our own.