God Outside the BoxNäide

The God Who Gives and Takes Away

Crisis has a way of exposing what we’re made of. When life unravels, our reactions often reveal where our identity truly rests and what we find important.

Job’s world collapsed in a single day. He lost wealth, livelihood, health, and even his children.

His grief was raw—tearing his robe, shaving his head, falling to the ground. These were not signs of weakness but of honesty. Job didn’t suppress his emotions or pretend he was unaffected. He mourned deeply, but even in mourning, he turned to worship. His response was not denial of pain but recognition of reality:

I came with nothing, and I’ll leave with nothing. What I have—what I had—was never mine to begin with.

That confession is more than resignation; it is identity.

Job knew that it was not his wealth that made him who he was. He anchored himself in the God who gives and takes according to His wisdom. His worth was not measured by wealth, status, or even the blessing of family.

At the core, Job was a worshiper. That identity could not be stripped away because that was his choice.

For men today, the test is the same.

When setbacks hit—job loss, financial strain, a broken relationship—our reactions tell the truth. Do we define ourselves by what’s been taken, or by the One who never leaves? What do we choose when all is stripped away?

This passage also challenges how we think about control. Most men assume their efforts secure their success, their provision, and even their families’ well-being.

But Job acknowledges a harder reality: everything is a gift. If it can be given, it can also be taken. That realization does not diminish the pain of loss, but it does shift the foundation of identity. A man who knows he is ultimately a steward, not an owner, can endure even when everything collapses.

It’s easy to praise God when life is full. The real question is whether His name will still be on our lips when it isn’t.

Job shows us that worship in the valley is the ultimate declaration of identity: I belong to God, regardless of what I gain or lose.

Who you are is revealed not in what you hold, but in Who holds you.

Prayer: God who gives and takes away, I confess that sometimes I take more pleasure in the gift than in the Giver. Help me to see You behind the good things in my life. Help me choose to worship no matter my circumstances. Amen.

Reflection: Are you tempted to change how you view God when life does not go as you think it should? How stable is your foundation in the God who gives and sometimes takes away?