Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Job and Hope



Quiet Time

February 24, 2015

Job 14:14-23

Today we find Job praying once again and he revisits his argument with God that he is, after all, His handiwork. Job has the illusion that God is hiding Himself and information regarding his condition from him. Job is sinking down into hopelessness and notes that death is preferable to this state (remember his losses: his children, his possessions, his health, the support of his wife in the midst of it all, additionally his comforting friends are no help). Hopeless is a frightening state and Job is there, begging God to make known what is wrong with his life.  In his note from the Transformation Study Bible,  makes an interesting observation regarding hope. He notes that in I Peter 1:3, Christ is called ”the living hope.”  For those who have trusted Christ for salvation, there is a hope that is alive.  We have distinct advantages over Job: Our sins have been forgiven (Job lived pre-cross and pre-prescribed sacrificial system; as a presumed contemporary of Abraham, all he had was what had been imparted to him orally regarding the necessity of a sacrifice.  Second, we have the Holy Spirit who indwells us and informs us of our missteps – God is not captiously withholding that information from us. Third, we have Christ who is our living hope and is alive forevermore.  A living hope affords us a port in the storms of life.  That deserves a hallelujah even though it’s broken. 

"Broken Hallelujah"
I can barely stand right now.
Everything is crashing down,
And I wonder where You are.

I try to find the words to pray.
I don't always know what to say,
But You're the one that can hear my heart.

Even though I don't know what your plan is,
I know You're making beauty from these ashes.

I've seen joy and I've seen pain.
On my knees, I call Your name.
Here's my broken hallelujah.

With nothing left to hold onto,
I raise these empty hands to You.
Here's my broken hallelujah.

You know the things that have brought me here.
You know the story of every tear.
‘Cause You've been here from the very start.

Even though I don't know what your plan is,
I know You're making beauty from these ashes.

I've seen joy and I've seen pain.
On my knees, I call Your name.
Here's my broken hallelujah.

With nothing left to hold onto,
I raise these empty hands to You.
Here's my broken hallelujah.

When all is taken away, don't let my heart be changed.
Let me always sing Hallelujah
When I feel afraid, don't let my hope be erased
Let me always sing Hallelujah.
Let me always sing Hallelujah.

I will always sing
I will always sing
Here's my broken hallelujah.

(http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/afters/brokenhallelujah.html)

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