Old Testament: Numbers 25 & 26
Poetry: Job 19
New Testament: Mark 4:26-41
A teacher poses a challenging question in his class. Most students begin to ponder, some begin to turn and whisper, some cross their fingers and hope they are not asked to contribute. Not a single hand goes in the air. The teacher repeats the question; this time, he says it in a different way. It doesn’t help. Thoughts become more frantic. Anxiety increases. Some students begin to avoid eye contact. At the moment that it seems that the teacher will start combing the class for a response, a lone hand ascends into the air. It is that kid who knows everything. Thank you, that kid who knows everything! The teacher calls on her, and you are saved from having to answer the question. All’s right with the world; you now can rest easy.
I have seen this scenario played out many times as both a student and a teacher. No matter how difficult the question, it seems there is always one person in our lives who is prepared to answer it. Whether it is at school, in your family, your circles of friends, or your work, there is always that one person (who very well may be you) that you turn to that has the experience, knowledge, or wisdom it takes to figure out life’s most difficult questions.
A passage in today’s text is like “that kid who knows everything.” It is the all-encompassing answer that holds God’s key and fundamental truth in which we can fix our hope. It stops us from over-thinking, stifles our anxiety, and helps us to take on, not avoid challenging situations, like:
- When you are having trouble making sense of the world around you
- When you feel like your prayers are not being answered
- When you seek “the reason” THIS is happening to YOU
- When you lose someone or something you dearly love
- When justice cannot be found
- When we lose our health or happiness
- When we face many other examples from Job 19:7-20
This is Job’s answer and ours:
Job 19:25-27 – “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
It is not resignation. It is not a cop-out. It does not mean you stop seeking, studying, or pursuing. It is the assurance and peace which you can rest in and be guided in while you are waiting.
-Aaron Winner
(Originally posted December 18, 2016)
Reflection Questions
- What are some of the hard questions Job was wrestling with? What hard questions do you have?
- What was Job’s “that kid who knows everything” answer in Job 19? What is the definition of redeemer? Do you have one – who lives? How do you know?
- What is your hope for the future? How does this give you peace today?
Seek Grow Love 