📊 Job 1:21 | God Gives & Takes Away

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

God gives AND takes away. But we praise God anyway. That’s what I hope you’ll take away from today’s reflection on Job 1:21.

If you missed yesterday’s email, you can read it here.

In today’s email…

• 📖 The remarkable moment in Job 1

• 🎶 Singing even after loss

• 📊 A trivia question about Job’s friends

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's ____, and _____ _____ _ _____.

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job 1:21

CONTEXT 📕 

Yesterday we zoomed out to see the big picture of Job — a story that confronts our deepest assumptions about suffering, reward, and faith.

Today, we step into chapter 1 — the opening act that sets the tone for the entire 42-chapter drama.

The chapter begins with peace and prosperity. Job is introduced as “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” He’s wealthy, respected, surrounded by family. If anyone looked blessed, it was Job.

Then the scene shifts both suddenly and violently.

We’re pulled from Job’s home on earth into the courts of heaven. There, the accuser (Satan) challenges Job’s integrity:

Verse 9 contains a piercing question. One that echoes into every human heart.

Do we love God because He is good? Or because life is good?

God allows Job’s faith to be tested — not to punish him, but to prove that real faith isn’t built on blessings. And in a single, unimaginable day, Job loses everything — his wealth, his servants, and his ten children.

Wave after wave of bad news. By sundown, Job’s entire life has collapsed.

And then, in the quiet after the storm, Job initial reaction is unthinkable.

He tears his robe. He falls to the ground. And he worships.

Job doesn’t curse. He doesn’t demand explanations. He blesses the very name of the God who allowed his loss.

Note: Later in Job, he will wrestle with God and question His goodness. But for right now, let’s

But this first chapter shatters two dangerous myths:

1. Suffering is always the result of sin.

2. You need to understand what God is doing in order to maintain faith

Job’s story begins by proving both false.

He is blameless and upright, yet suffers incredible loss. He doesn’t know about the heavenly conversation or see the bigger plan.

But even in the dark, he chooses to trust the unchanging character of God over the changing circumstances of life.

His faith isn’t anchored in what he has, but in who God is. And that’s the kind of faith that can withstand the storms of life.

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

I still remember the first time I heard this concept of God giving and taking away.

It was the day after a woman in our small group passed unexpectedly. That Sunday, we sang Matt Redman’s song Blessed Be Your Name.

I was young, but the lyrics hit like a weight:

“My heart will choose to say,
Lord, blessed be Your name.”

Even now, that song carries the ache of loss. Every time I hear it, I wonder—who are we singing for this time?

But it also reminds me that worship isn’t reserved for when life is good.

It’s a declaration that God is still God even when the life hurts. He doesn’t stop being faithful when life stops being easy.

That’s what Job understood.

Faith isn’t pretending the pain doesn’t exist. Faith is choosing to fall before God in the pain, trusting He’s still worthy of praise.

Challenge: Choose one area of life where things feel out of your control or disappointing. Instead of trying to fix it or figure it all out, pause. Pray. And like Job, try saying, “Blessed be Your name.” Repeat it until you feel it in your bones.

Pray 🙏

God, You are the Giver of every good gift, and sometimes, You allow what You gave to be taken away. Today, I want to be like Job. When my heart breaks, help me bow instead of run. When I can’t see Your plan, help me trust Your character. Teach me to say, with honest tears and deep faith, “Blessed be Your name.” Amen.

TRIVIA 📊 

Click one of the answers below. Let’s see how you do…

ANSWER KEY ✅ 

And he 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.”

Job 1:21