I Know My Redeemer Lives - Devotion 1 - Monday Morning Devotions
Join us as Pastor Ricky Jacob, serving the Winnebago people in Nebraska, explores the life of Job and the truth of our Risen Lord.
I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever living head.
(Samuel Medley, 1783-1799, abr.)
I grew up back in the day of S & H green stamps. You would collect these stamps from the various area businesses, gas stations, food stores, etc. and then lick them and place them in booklets. When you filled up the pages you would go to an S & H green stamp store and find something that you wanted and redeem - or hand over your stamp booklets for what you wanted.
In other words, you would redeem your stamps.
The closest things that have today are going to a place where there are loyalty cards - maybe for an oil change - get 8 or 9 oil changes and you hand in your punched out card - redeem it for a free oil change.
The words of the song that I began my devotion with comes from a man named Job. Job had undergone severe testing at the hand of God and while being tempted by Satan to turn against God. Job had lost his seven sons and three daughters all on one day in a wind storm.
Soon after that, he was afflicted with sores from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. You know what a sore is and how painful a cold sore or an infected boil can be. Job's body was covered with them and he sat in agony all day longing for the night. When night came, and he could not sleep he began to long for the day. His pain and agony went on for weeks.
Instead of turning against his Creator, he uttered these prophetic words, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last, he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh, I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!" [Job 19:25-27]
Even in the most difficult of days, we can find relief and hope in these comforting words as we trust in our Redeemer to see us through!
Please pray with me: Almighty God the Father; through Jesus Christ, Your only-begotten Son, our Lord, You have overcome death and opened the gate of everlasting life to us. Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by Your life-giving Spirit, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Resurrection of Our Lord - Collect 1