READING: Job 17-20
My friend who led me to the Lord more than 40 years ago was forceful and often tactless in his approach. If you know my testimony, you know that he sometimes met me at the door of our 7th grade classroom with these words: “Chuck, it’s a good think you lived through the night. If you hadn’t, you’d be in hell right now.” For a 12 year old, he was a brazen evangelist.
When that’s the way you hear the good news, you don’t sleep very well while you’re wrestling with the gospel call — and that’s what happened to me. I lay down every night of my 7th grade year, fearing to fall asleep and being ever grateful that I awakened the next morning still on this earth. I didn’t want to go to hell, but I didn’t want to go to Jesus, either . . . at least, not just then.
But then God grabbed me fully and made me His child. He tugged continually at my heart and gave me faith to believe. One result of that divine encounter? I slept like a baby the night I became a believer! I knew my Redeemer lives, and my life now rested in His hands.
Job apparently knew that truth, too. Despite all the wrong accusations of his friends (and his own despairing faith at times), he believed the day would come after his death when his redeemer would vindicate him — when He would make Himself known through the miracle of resurrection: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another” (Job 19:25-27).
What Job spoke of with hope in today’s reading, you and I know for certain: our Redeemer, Jesus Christ the Son of God has conquered death and lives today. Believers will experience resurrection. We will see God. He will accomplish His plan.
We should thus be humble. Grateful. Amazed. On our knees.
ACTION STEPS:
- If you have not yet chosen to follow Christ, turn to Him today. Confess your sin to Him in prayer, and trust Him to save you. Then tell somebody about your decision.
- If you’re a believer, pause to meditate about how much the resurrection means to our faith. Praise the One who lives today.
PRAYER: “God, I praise You. You are alive. You are my Redeemer. Thank You for the promise of resurrection.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Job 21-23
