Jeff Ling

“When Christ left the grave, it was not merely an announcement that there is a hereafter and a life beyond . . . it was the shattering of history by a creative act of God Almighty. In this cosmic event . . . God was doing something comparable only with what He had done at the first creation. This was the beginning of a new era for the universe, the decisive turning-point for the human race. . . . In the Resurrection the new age had arrived, and . . . this stupendous miracle signified the storming of history and the transforming of the world.”

- James S. Stewart, A Faith to Proclaim

(Courtesy of OFI)

S) Scripture: Job 14:14

If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my service I would wait,
till my renewal should come.

O) Observation

Job’s friends have continued to hammer him with their “wisdom” and here Job has silenced them in order to make his own case before God. It is heart wrenching to see his mental anguish. He begs for understanding in the midst of his suffering. It is forever the plea on mortal lips: “God, why are yo doing this to me?” Job, in thrashing about for some ray of comfort asks a question that could be understood in a couple of ways. First, the desperate plea in v. 14 could be a question about what happens to us in life. “After all this, after all I have lost, is there hope? Is there the possibility of a rebirth? I would willingly wait through this trial if only You could assure me of that.” Secondly, the question could refer to what happens after life has ended.  “So is there any hope of life again? Once the grave swallows me, is that it?”

In the reading today in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is approaching the idea of death and resurrection in a way we can appreciate. He writes that if there is no resurrection from the grave, no hope of life after death, no joy to look forward to – then what a sorry pitiful bunch we are! Why endure the hardship and pain? Why bother to follow after holiness? In fact, if there is no resurrection and we simply rot in the grave then let’s chuck this useless faith and live for whatever pleasures we can enjoy.

I have a friend who said to me: “You know, it no longer matters to me if there is eternal life or not. It’s worth it just to have enjoyed God in this life.” It reminded me of that song that B.J. Thomas sang years ago.

“But if heaven never were promised to me,
even God’s promise to live eternally.
It’s been worth just having the Lord in my life,
living in a world of darkness, He brought me the light.”

I don’t think so. It’s noble, maybe. Human? No.

In my thinking, these words could be sung only by those whose suffering has been light, who have never witnessed the death of martyrs, who have never sat in the ash heap with Job.

Hope is an indispensable ingredient of life in Christ. Hope, not just that in this life we will experience some measure of joy and a dim glimpse of the glory of God, but hope that one day our joy will be complete and our vision filled with the majesty of our redeemer.

I confess. It’s just not “worth it” to me if this is all there is. When you have held the dead in your arms, you want to see death vanquished.  I need to know the hope of seeing creation and my self as we were intended to be: curse free and glorious. I think Paul would have agreed.

A) Application

The Psalm for today was Psalm 39. The subheading says:  What is the measure of my days?”

“O LORD, make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!

Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!” (vs. 4-6)

Today, I will be less afraid of my own mortality and trust the One who alone is immortal. I will accept that my despair, my fears, my frailty is part of my humanity. Like Job, I have questions. Like David, I have fears. Like Paul, I need to know there is more. So today I will echo the words of the psalmist:

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. (vs7)

P) Prayer

Almighty God, You are sovereign and and Your wisdom is beyond my understanding. My questions often overwhelm me and my fears often disable me. I confess that while I suffer little, I suffer badly. Lift my eyes, fill my vision and restore my hope. I turn to you and wait. You alone are my hope. In Jesus name, Amen