Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.  Job 1:21 NIV

The song was a favorite, the words were familiar, but the tears caught my 11 year old son by surprise. The congregation continued to sing, “Blessed be Your name. Every blessing You pour out, I‘ll turn back to praise.” James looked at me and said, “Why are you crying?”

“This song always reminds me of the baby we lost,” I whispered. He shook his head to assure me he understood and continued to sing. Memories flooded my mind. Instantly, I returned to life in 2008. 

Back then, we learned we were having a miscarriage, and I experienced grief I had never known. A few hours after leaving the hospital, I shared the news with our pastor. He prayed, offered comforting words and asked if there was anything he could do. I responded with, “Could we sing ‘Blessed Be Your Name’ tomorrow?” He said, “Yes,” and we did.

The song had been my favorite, but it suddenly became personal. God had given us our 4th child, but before we even met her, she was taken away. I remember tears running down my face as I sang words I knew were true - He gives and takes away. I also wondered where the strength came from to stand and praise while I experienced such pain. I didn’t understand the peace that filled me as I praised the One who held me.

Praising God that day made a difference. It was a choice that was powerful and led to a perspective check that was needed. In today’s key verse we are reminded of an important truth - we came with nothing and we will leave with nothing. Everything we have is temporary, but God is eternal. Friend, He is to be praised. 

He won’t force us to do this, but if we draw near and allow Him to fill us with His Spirit, He will help us do it. Even when the darkness closes in and the grief overwhelms… like me, you may not understand it, but you will be blessed through it.

Praising God reminds us of who is in control, the power He possesses and the plan He’s perfected. Praising God takes our eyes off our problems and puts them on God, the One who can solve them. Praising God changes our perspective and reminds us of our purposes. Praising God is powerful! Why not do it now?

Has God poured out His blessing on you? Praise Him for it. Are you walking through a hard time? Praise Him for His Presence. Are you grieving? Praise Him for the memories. Are you struggling to praise Him? Remind yourself who He is and praise Him for His power, the gift of salvation and His sovereignty. 

Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, You and You alone are worthy of our praise. May we be people who praise You today. Regardless of what our lives look like, help us remember who You are and do what You created us to do. Lord, I praise You for the way You’ve worked in my life… even for the things that were hard and situations I would never choose because they are all things You have used to draw me closer to You. I praise You for being my God, my Lord and my Savior. I praise You for the personal relationship that I have with You. And Lord, I praise You for the people You’ve put in my life including my friends joining me here today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Listen as Matt Redman sings, Blessed Be Your Name may it touch your heart like it does mine.