At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
Job 1:20-22 (NIV)
The humble believer looks through all secondary causes and sees the mighty hand of God in both misery and mercy - His all sufficient grace being fully capable of meeting our needs in both. He can see the rod in God’s hand but also the honey at the tip of it as well as sugar in the bottom of our bitterest cups. Nothing is by chance or happenstance. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” Paul knew we would all need reminding of this through the Holy Spirit’s promptings. We are all so accustomed to get what we want when we want it – and our tech age plays right into this instantaneous phenomenon. That’s not how God works. Conforming His children onto the image of His eldest Son takes their lifetimes. There is always work to be done. We don’t immediately become Christlike and some of the choicest tools He uses towards this amazingly wonderful outcome are pain, affliction, want and time. We are so thickheaded that we often don’t look up until He makes us realize just how very needy we are. Therefore, His mercies can be seen in our miseries as there is no better and safer place to be than standing firm in God’s will, mature and fully assured. He loves to show Himself strong in our weaknesses. Remember, He is God and we are not and He is constantly teaching us through His mercies as well as His miseries and the humble believing soul realizes that the design of God in all things points to our salvation, transformation and reformation. Therefore, we bless God both in our prosperities and our adversities. Many of us praise Him when the sun is shining down upon us yet when stricken with something not of our choosing we “kick against the goads”.
Be wise and be patient, forgoing the passion of the proud who are foolishly - and often violently - hostile to reproof. We are not to be pure in your own eyes and remain uncleansed in our filthy rags and yet remain haughty. Weigh all against God’s Word and if it fits, wear it. It is the whole of Scripture that makes a strong believer. And everything allowed in the life of the child of the King is used for their good and His glory. Everything.
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 likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30 (NIV)