"God gives and God takes away"

It's a phrase we've all heard at least once in our lives, mainly during times of heartache, disappointment and grief. It's a phrase that many use to bring comfort to those afflicted souls, the hurting ones. But more often then not, that simple phrase causes a lot of people to doubt God.

If God is so good and so merciful, and supposed to be a God of love, then why do bad things happen?

Bad things happen for a number of reasons. Maybe we took for granted the things we had, maybe we turned our backs on God when all He wanted was to have a relationship with you, or maybe something bad happened simply because that's how everything works.

My pastor told us this past Sunday that in order for there to be good in the world, there must also be evil. But God takes what is meant to be evil and uses to for good, just as Jesus was nailed to a cross but ultimately saved and sanctified all who believe in Him.

For the father who lost custody of his children, the student who lost their scholarship, the wife who lost her husband, and the single mother raising children with little income, there is hope. These hurting souls, countless other people in unimaginable situations, and even myself, are sometimes left with empty hands; hands that are tired, frail, and in need of help.

But there is hope for empty hands. When God leaves you with empty hands, He's put you in the perfect position for a miracle. When your hands are empty, they are in the greatest position to cling to the hand that was nailed to a tree 2,000 years ago. When your hands are empty, they're able to be lifted towards the sky and glorify God with all your being. In times when you find yourself with empty hands, you cling to the promises of God.

It amazes me and brings my soul joy to know that the same God who spoke the world into motion, the hands that created the universe, longs to have a relationship with me. Sometimes God will take things away to open your eyes to how powerful and how glorious He truly is.

When God leaves you with empty hands, don't try to fill them with things of this world. Reach them out, and place them in unison with the One who loves you endlessly.

"In the barren places of my life, I can be assured that God is there; as He is when life is fruitful." - Elisabeth Elliot