From:
Date: November 11, 2020
Subject: It's November 11; Good Morning Union
“I know that my Redeemer lives.” Job 19:25
The text was in my dad’s list of texts right toward the end. I put it in the “absolute confidence/trust” category as I remember the faithfulness of seeing my dad up early every morning studying his Bible. I believe the strength he gained every morning was the resource he tapped into to not just spiritually survive but thrive to the end.
The story of Job can be a challenging narrative about God, Satan, and Job. His three “friends” and his wife didn’t help much either! Job was a righteous man whom apparently God had blessed. Satan accused God of playing favorites, and if I read the story right it sounds like God allowed Satan to test Job so that He (God) could prove him (Satan) wrong. The test was brutal and the friends were cruel, but Job was faithful through it all.
And then my dad’s text, which was Job’s response to one of his friends- “I KNOW that my Redeemer lives.” With great confidence, even in the middle of a series of catastrophic personal attacks, Job was faithful. He was hoping the crises would pass, but even when they didn’t he was faithful. THAT was one of my ah-ha’s this morning as I reviewed this story. I’m pretty good at praising God in the middle of all my blessing, living “the good life” of Nebraska and Christianity. BUT, when things go wrong I have my moments of doubt or at least wondering what’s going on. COVID hasn’t help, though I am so thankful for the peace God has given me though this pandemic.
As I read the whole verse I find focus. Have I said that before? Focus, focus, focus!! I can’t look down in discouragement and focus on that; I can’t look around me at all the challenges life is throwing around and focus on that; I MUST look up and focus on Jesus and eternity. That’s what Job did:
In the middle of pretty much everything going wrong in his life, through no cause of his own, Job still maintained his faith in the God whom he had spent his life being faithful to, SO THAT in the tough times he had an anchor that kept his soul.
Have a great day building that trusting and faith-filled connection with God now, SO THAT you’ll have that divine resource at your disposal to bring you through the tough times,
Pastor Rich
Quote for the day: “Fear rises up whenever we feel out of control. Faith rises up whenever we remember God is in control.” Stacy L Sanchez
PS A special thank you to all our veterans for the sacrifices you made to help preserve the freedoms I enjoy. My dad was a veteran of WWII where he lost part of his hearing at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked. Thank you to all of you for all you did!!