Job 1:20-21 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
Job suffered unimaginable pain and heartache. The loss of everything, then eventually his health. After receiving the news that his children had perished when a great wind hit their eldest brother’s house and it collapsed on them all, Job fell down and worshipped. The word worship literally means to prostrate oneself in homage to God, to bow down, to reverence. Job could do no more than to worship God in his sorrow and pain. The Bible doesn’t say that he praised God, nor thanked God in his grief. As a matter of fact, those two words are not even found in the book of Job. He could just fall on his face before God and reverence Him.
Job knew that he did not possess the strength he needed to survive the pain he felt, he knew all he could do was to trust in the God he Loved. There are certain occasions in our lives that will change everything in an instant. It could be a phone call, a diagnosis, an accident or some other tragedy that all we can do is to worship the Lord we love. There are situations that arise that hurt so much that we know we cannot handle them in our own strength. That is when we must simply turn our hearts heavenward and reverence the Lord.
I know the word of God teaches us to give thanks in everything, and that our God is worthy to be praised in all situations. However, practically speaking, there are times that hurt too deep to praise and thank God. When our son Johnny was born with multiple congenital defects, I must be honest, I tried to praise and thank God. But, to tell you the truth is wasn’t honest praise or heartfelt thanks. Looking back today over the past 32 years I can thank and praise God for all he has done with Johnny’s life and in my life through him, even in his home going I am thankful that Johnny no longer suffers the pain he was in. Yet, at his birth and through many difficult situations through the years, all I could do was worship.
Much of what is called worship today has nothing to do with humbling ourselves before God or giving Him reverence. True worship puts us and God in our proper place, humbles us and exalts the Lord.
Friend, when your heart is breaking and you can’t muster up the praise or thanks…just worship. Give God reverence, we may not understand the reasons for our pain, but we can be sure that the Lord hasn’t forsaken us. In time you will be able to thank and praise Him, but until that time worship, ask Him to give you the strength you need to endure the trial He has allowed into your life.