Being Thankful Even in the Taking Away

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:28, NIV)

I’ve served as a worship leader for 13 years. It doesn’t feel like that long in my brain, but I started serving on my youth worship team when I was a freshman in high school. Over the years, I’ve served on multiple teams,both in the lead and in the background, at a handful of different churches with lots of different beliefs.

There are a lot of different worship songs that spark debate amongst worship teams, especially now that worship songs are going under the microscope in terms of: is this worship to God, or man-centered worship under a problematic theology? One song that seems to be debated more often, I’ve noticed, is “Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt Redman. 

You definitely know it, but some worship leaders don’t appreciate the bridge of the song: “You give and take away, you give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be your name.”

You give AND take away?! Some people have a theological issue with the thought of God taking things away. How could a good God take things away from His people? Yes, it’s comfortable to accept a God that gives: blessings, provision, relationships, opportunity, and understanding. But a God that takes? Somehow we can’t reconcile that idea of God we have, and it’s because we’re choosing to see Him through our own humanity, rather than for who God has shown us He is.

The classic example is that we are God’s children. Anyone who has ever dealt with a child knows that you don’t always give a child what they want, if it’s to the detriment of the child. You don’t give your child a knife to play with. You don’t give your child a scaldingly hot bath. You don’t let them play in shark-infested waters. Sometimes, you have to take things away from them and steer them in the direction you want them to go.

That’s where today’s key verse comes in: God works all things together for the good of those that he has chosen as His own. And yes, sometimes, things have to be taken away in order to be made good in God’s will. We may not like it, but God’s ultimate will is to make us conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. Paul is very clear that God chose us– knowing us at the beginning of time– to be His own children, called us according to His word, justified us under the blood shed on the cross, all so that we may be made into the glorified image of Jesus. 

And sometimes, God has to take things away from us in order to accomplish that within us. Just like the Bible says about refining being done by fire, sometimes the only way to be more conformed to who Jesus is, is through the pain of loss or adversity. Does God delight in taking things away from us? No, never, because He loves us and doesn’t take joy in seeing us in our suffering. But He does the things that have to be done to reach His ultimate purpose.

So yes, sometimes our health is diminished so that we have to lean more fully on who God is and develop a better trust in Him. Sometimes, God ordains for us to walk through grief, so our faith could be stretched and strengthened. Sometimes, we lose our jobs or homes or friends so that we can be redirected into something that is ultimately better for us.

Because ALL THINGS work together for HIS GOOD. Even the loss. And nothing, not even the suffering you go through when something is ultimately taken away, can thwart God’s will from coming to pass. The biggest thing is this: God truly gave up the ultimate loss– His Son– to gain us back. He never requires something from us that He has not also walked through. He lost His Son so that He would gain us all back. And you know what? I know He would do it again and again if it was required.

He is so generous with us, friends. Even in the seasons that He’s ordained for something to be taken away, He is so generous to us. And what a beautiful, spiritually mature thing to understand that and be thankful for it! It is my prayer that you would understand today, that God’s gentle hand does provide deep and unfathomable blessings, even when we’ve had something taken away. Realizing that fact is to go from a shallow, selfish Christianity that believes that God only blesses us through healing, providing, or supplying, to a spiritually mature walk with Christ that knows that God is working and blessing through all things, even when we don’t see Him in it. 

Maybe you’ve had a hard year. Maybe it’s been a hard few years. I get it, and I see you. But now is the time to dig deep and start using those hardships to be even more conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, the end goal of this whole life. God is still the One to be praised. He is still on His throne, and He is still working everything together for the good of those that know Him and walk with Him. We can still draw near to Him in thanksgiving for every moment He’s held us securely in His hands, whether we’re in a season of giving or taking away.

Thank you, Jesus, for every blessing you give. Thank you for always being with us and drawing us nearer to you through all things. Help us to see you in everything. Help us to trust in you and lean on you, even when it feels like things will never add up to anything good. Today, we stand in your sovereign grace, your endless goodness, and your eternal plans. We trust you that your will is for us to know you deeper and for us to know your character. I pray that you would be near to all those that are in seasons of taking away. Help them to see that you are always at work, putting everything together in your master plan. Show us how even the trials of this life are your mercies in disguise. Thank you for being a God we can depend on to be faithful. Thank you for loving us and for going to every length to save us. We love you, Lord.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.