Continue to Praise

“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” Job 1:1 ESV

In an article published Tuesday subtitled “In best shape of his life, Aaron Kuen remains unconscious in Sacramento hospital” the following was reported: The marathoner, Iraq war veteran and father of three was within reach of a personal record at the California International Marathon when he collapsed near the end of his run. Aaron Kuen, 37, was a quarter of a mile from the finish line and his family when he stopped breathing during the Dec. 4 event. "I was so proud. It was everything he wanted," Aaron's wife Augustina Kuen said. "It was literally the pace he wanted. He was doing so well." Augustina said doctors told her it was a "freak event." "It's a rare thing: hit by lightning, very bad luck — all the horrible cliches," she said. "It was a one-in-a-million event in his body. He did nothing wrong."

And you know, when it comes to bad things happening to people who seemingly (because we all sin) ‘did nothing wrong’, the Bible gives us the book of Job, the story of a righteous man who suffered in ways that are almost beyond belief. You see, God allowed Satan to do everything he wanted to Job except kill him. Yet Job continued to praise God through it all saying, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job didn’t understand why God had allowed the things He did, but he knew that God was good and therefore continued to trust in Him through it all. Ultimately, that should be our reaction as well, especially since we know that God works ALL things for the good of those who love Him.

So no matter what trials you and I might be facing today, may our reaction to them be to sing praises to the One whose ways are much higher than ours; knowing that God will not allow His sons and daughters to suffer in vain.

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we won’t understand everything that happens in life nor should we try to. Cause us to remember that You are sovereign over all, and because of that we should trust all things to work for our good and for your glory. Give us peace in the midst of our problems Lord. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!