The Example of Job

The other day I lost my guitar. I had it...put it in my car...and the next thing I knew it was gone. Stolen, I figured. I always lock my car but I must have not done that at a quite inconvenient time.

Luckily, I didn't really care. Not because I didn't love my guitar, because I did. But I really am blessed by having a personality that doesn't sweat the small stuff. It's just not something I'm prone to do. But, there was another reason it didn't bother me: I had a bible verse stuck in my head immediately afterward.

"The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." - Job 1:21b

There are many reason I can think of why not having my guitar anymore would be good, and even if I couldn't think of any, I'm confident there would be. Because I believe the Bible when it's says that "for those who love God all things work together for good." No matter what. The name of the Lord should be praised.

So I was looking at my empty guitar stand at home today, wondering what I should do with it. I had my tuner too, which was not in my guitar case apparently. I decided to leave my guitar stand right where it was, rig the tuner in the neck cradle, and print off Job 1:21 to tape onto it, as a reminder that "every good and perfect gift is from above" and that although the Lord may take things away, he still deserves to be praised.

I'm confident that I'm being taught this in the simple insignificant case of a guitar because I will inevitably undergo immeasurably greater losses in the future. God always has done a good job of preparing me for things, even when I'm unaware.

Before going to my computer to print off the verse to tape onto my guitar stand, I grabbed a hat that was lying on the floor, and in an effort to keep my room tidy, went into the hall to put the hat where it belongs - in the big closet. I opened the door, set the hat down, glanced over in the corner of the closet....

And I saw my guitar case.

I just stared at it, more than likely with my jaw hanging open. I quickly scanned my memory to make sure that I had the guitar in the case when I lost it; I had. I touched the case to make sure it wasn't a mirage; it wasn't. I slowly lifted up the case and took it into my room. I carefully unfastened the clips, opened the case, and there it was. My guitar. (or more accurately God's guitar which he has entrusted to my care.)

And true to form I did just what the Tree 63 song would tell me to do.

"Every blessing you pour out - I'll turn back to praise."

So I did. I played and sang and I praised God because He is always good, because he taught me a valuable lesson, and also went above and beyond. Amazing, no?

To Jesus be the glory.