This series will take us through the month of November and is intended to be a devotional that encourages us to be grateful, even in times when being grateful is difficult.
God’s greatest pleasure came at the expense of His greatest loss.
Loss is not an easy concept to contend with. Loss is one of the most saddening aspects of life; we form attachments to special people and important things in our lives and loss is the detachment of these bonds we created. The truth is we are not here forever. All things deteriorate and end at some point in time. Loss brings grief, questioning, tidal waves of emotions, and uncertainty. Fear can also come along with loss. We all deal with loss whether we realize it or not— loss of time, money, employment, heath, loved ones, all loss is impactful.
What is the purpose of loss? To get straight to the point loss is meant for us to experience God in newer, deeper ways. Loss can inspire passion that launches us into purpose. Loss can unveil parts of ourselves we never knew were there. There are experiences with God we can only have in the valley of the shadow of death and those experiences are at times the most intimate we can have with Him. It was in the valley that David found out He is a present help in trouble, it was in the valley when Job realized God’s wisdom exceeded Job’s, it was in the valley when Hagar met the God who saw her. Valleys represent loss and suffering, but in these moments of life God draws near (Psalm 34:18). Valleys teach us to look up, they place us in low positions to bless us not bruise us. Some blessings spring from bitter places but God can take the bitter in life and mix it with His goodness and the outcome is richer than we could have imagined. This is what Paul is saying in Romans 8:28, “for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose, we know all things work together for good”: Life can be bitter (and for those who aren’t fond of spicy food, it can be a bit spicy), but God takes His goodness and pours it into hardship and disappointment and whatever was wrong begins to change direction. No, this does not mean it will reverse what has happened, but the trajectory of how things were going to play out changes. Instead of my destruction, God’s goodness works all things for His glory and my gain.
I do not intend to “make sense” of the loss and suffering we face. Sometimes an explanation to the question “why” does nothing for us. Sometimes the answer to why things happened the way they did is experience. Sometimes the answer we need is intimacy. Sometimes the answer we need is purpose. The only answer that will suffice is the one that comes from above. We suffer loss for various reasons, but the answers all come from the same Sourxe. There will be many tables this coming Thursday affected by loss and brokenness. Whether the loss occurred in 2022 or 1992, loss can still be felt, but so can the transforming peace, power, and presence of the living God. This week as we enter our Thanksgiving celebrations, may we be grateful that in loss God is still present. Life may be bad but God is still good. Next week we will conclude this series by being grateful for hope.
Until next time, continue to stay guided by grace,
Tra
Guided by Grace 