Blessed Be Your Name

There is a song called "Blessed Be Your Name". It goes like this:

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

So it's a pretty popular Christian song, and I know a lot of you have probably heard it a few times. I think it's a really great song...until it gets to the last part. The part about how God supposedly gives and "takes away." That just makes him sound evil.

This song comes from the book of Job, which is in the Old Testament. I think one of the things people miss the most about the Bible is that there is an old covenant (this was the covenant God had for the Jews, in the Old Testament times), and there is a new covenant (in the New Testament). This new covenant was established when Jesus died, was raised from the dead, and provided the final sacrifice for all time, so that anyone can be saved if you simply "confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead" (Romans 10:9).

All that to say that since we are under a completely new covenant, all of the stuff in the Old Testament, which was the former law, does not necessarily apply to us today. However, there are still important lessons and stories in the Old Testament that are useful to teach (when taught correctly) because everything in the Old Testament does point to God in that it shows to us how great God's grace toward us is, and how lost we would be without him.

So Job was frustrated because God's favor kept coming and going, and that's where we get the whole "give and take away" bit. Yes, that is in the Bible. But it's in the Old Testament.

God's new covenant with is through Jesus is all about grace. God does not want to punish us; in fact, He wants to shower us with blessings and every great thing you can think of! God does not take stuff away from us; if He did, He would be a liar. James 1:17 says "What ever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow."

So basically, every good thing comes from God (notice it doesn't say "every good thing, and some bad things), and God never changes. God is good, all the time.

Where does the bad stuff come from then? John 10:10 says "The thief's (or the devil's) purpose is to steal (that's where the taking away in the song comes in) and kill and destroy. My (Jesus') purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Another argument for this is that God takes stuff away from us, makes us sick, or does some other bad thing to punish us. Well, I would love to see where you can find that in
the New Testament! And if you can, please do show me, because then that shatters the
whole idea of God's grace towards us. There was not one single time where Jesus did not heal someone, if they had faith in Him. If Jesus died for you, why would He deny you something that He died for you to have?

2 Timothy 3:16 says that "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." So God does not use sickness, poverty,or any other bad thing to teach us. He uses His Word.

Matthew 6:25-34 talks about the fact that people who believe in Him do not have to worry about the things that unbelievers do. Matthew 6:32-33 says "These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. Matthew 6 talks about how much God cares for the birds and the flowers, so how much more will He care for us who are His children? Again, in James 1:18, it says that "we, out of all creation, became His prized possession."

God is the perfect example of a father. Matthew 7:9-11 says this: "You parents - if your children ask for a loaf of bread, would you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him."

Good parents do not give something to their children and then take it away just because, or to teach them a lesson. That's common sense. So why do people say that God does that, when He is the perfect Father?

Matthew 7:7-8 says: "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

So in conclusion, think about how many times the Bible tells us that God will provide for us (in response to faith). But there is not a single time in the New Testament where God "took away" from someone, whether it be money, health, life, etc. If He did that, He would be a liar, because He never changes. God's grace gives to us, and that's it. It makes me really sad to think how many people honestly believe this song is true. Why would I want to serve a god who I have to be afraid of because he is going to take stuff away from me? Well I don't. God's grace to us is what sets Christianity apart from any other religion.

This was not meant to be offensive to anyone, and I was not thinking of anyone in particular when I wrote this; this is just what I very strongly believe, and will continue to believe until someone disproves me with the Bible.

Here it goes...

Well, I have finally created a blog. It took me a week to do it because I had to come up with a blog name, and I still don't have one. So, if you have any bright ideas, let me know. This blog is a product of my boredom during these long summer days, of my need to get my thoughts about God out of my head and somewhere I can share them with people, and of my love for discussing what I believe and arguing my case for it. Opposition is very welcome
Thanks for reading, my friend :)