God is in control

​Today's devotion is based on Job 1:21, where we hear Job after a terrible series of tragedies devasted his family, "And he (Job) said, '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.' In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrong."
Job suffered.  He questioned the fairness of God. He wished he had never been born. Job's story is in so many ways our story. We, too, question what sort of God do we have? For all the images of him as our gentle Father, at times, he shows himself to be a God of mystery and silence. God refuses to shape our world the way we would like it and act as we hope he will. But when life takes a dark turn, and our feelings toward him are shaky and disintegrating, his hold on us is unshakeably strong. God's grace and mercy will hold us through the worst of times. God is ultimately in control, and for that, we give him praise.
Please pray with me the prayer for today: Heavenly Father, gracious God, creator and sustainer of all things, we long for the day when suffering will be overcome, and what has been lost is restored. Thank you that the truth of your love is not altered by the changeable strength of our feelings for you. When our suffering renders us incapable of choosing to praise you, you welcome our questions and our longing for something better. Come, Lord Jesus, come. In Jesus' holy name, I pray. Amen