Today is Day 24 of our journey through the season of Lent. I'm glad you're here.
Day 24
In the Book of Job, we read about a man who lost his crops, his livestock, his wealth, and all of his children. He was plagued with painful boils that covered his whole body. He lived on the ash heap in his yard, ashamed of what he'd become. His wife wondered why he didn't throw away his faith, and his friends questioned what secret sin he was covering up that had brought this calamity on him and his family.
And yet, in the midst of the worst period of his life, we read this amazing piece of Scripture:
Job 19: 25 - 27 ...
But I know my living Redeemer, and He will stand on the dust at last.
26 Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet I will see God in my flesh.
27 I will see Him myself; my eyes will look at Him, and not as a stranger.
My heart longs within me.
Wow! In the middle of adversity, Job responded with worship! He realised something that many of us have yet to discover: worship is God’s river of life that waters our parched souls, and feeds the famine in our barren hearts.
"Job did not wait until his circumstances got better to worship. He did not watch his clock for Sunday service to roll around so that He could enjoy a few praise songs at his favorite church. Instead, Job dragged worship into his misery. He dragged worship into his sorrow" (Dharius Daniels).
In spite of everything he was dealing with, Job still praised God. When Job declared “my Redeemer lives” he was reaffirming that God is ever present. God is with us in every situation.
When we are going through real storms in our lives, all we have to do is flip to the Book of Job and see the truth that no matter what you are going through, know that God lives. Job is the Life Coach to all suffering Christians (wink).
Let's learn to deal with our challenges the same way Job did - in worship. When we worship, our problems shrink, our stress is relieved and our faith is strengthened.
The enemy who tried to destroy Job failed to realize that Job didn't just have a religion - he had a relationship with God. He had walked with God long enough and closely enough in the good times, and knew him to be real in is life, so that when the bad times came, his faith and his trust in the Father was rock solid.
When our hard times come, it's important to remember Job’s example, and to stand firm in knowing that God is alive and present and doing His good works in us, on our behalf, in our circumstances.
When Satan whispers to you that you are alone in your situation, tell him, “I know my Redeemer lives, and because He lives, my tomorrow will be better."