Transformed – teen devotion – March 31, 2024
One truth shared: Jesus gives hope even amid suffering.
Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!
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!
Job 19:23-27
Having everything when you have nothing
Has anyone ever suffered more? It would be hard for anyone to compare their pain or loss with Job. In one day Job lost all of his wealth and all ten of his children. Yes, that’s right, all ten in one day. Just like that—POOF!—everything valuable, near, and dear to him was gone. As if that was not enough, Job was afflicted with painful sores on his skin from head to toe, so painful that he tried to find relief by scraping his skin with broken pieces of pottery. And to top it all off, soon his friends and his wife turned on him saying this was probably his fault and he should just curse God and die.
Who could ever imagine Job’s hurt? Who could ever know his pain? The physical and emotional turmoil is beyond comprehension. And yet . . . that doesn’t mean you don’t know pain.
You may not have suffered as deeply as Job, but you certainly have still suffered. You probably know loss from a boyfriend or girlfriend you broke up with, a friend who betrayed you, or maybe even a loved one who has passed away. You probably know hurt from mean words and gossip about you, or disappointment in school, or turmoil in your own family. And you most certainly know fear. What will happen next? What will you do after school? What will your future look like? Will you make the right or wrong decisions?
We aren’t living in a comparison game, as if I shouldn’t feel bad because my life isn’t as bad as Job’s was. No, the reality is that all of us live as sinners in a world that’s broken by sin. That means that all of us suffer hurt, pain, and loss in varying degrees. And any and all suffering can quickly make us feel helpless and hopeless.
Yet even though he suffered greatly, Job wrote a confession of faith that puts everything in perspective for us. “I know that my redeemer lives,” Job said. Though everything else was failing and dying, Job knew that he had a redeemer, a Savior who was winning and living. Moreover, Job knew that one day he himself would see that living Savior face to face in heaven—a place with no hurt, no pain, no loss, and no tears. How his heart yearned for that day!
Easter Sunday proves that Job’s hopes were not in vain. His redeemer, our redeemer, Jesus, does live. He crushed Satan at the cross as he paid for sin, and he conquered death and hell when he rose from the grave. Jesus promises that, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). Because Jesus rose back to life, we will rise to life with him in heaven.
You will suffer in this broken world. You will have hurt, pain, and loss. Sometimes even in extraordinary and awful ways like Job. But you also have Jesus. That means that when you feel like you have nothing, you actually have everything. You have hope. You have peace. You have a perfect life in heaven waiting for you. Oh, how our hearts yearn within us!
Prayer: Risen Savior, sometimes I have so much hurt and pain. Sometimes I suffer so much. But you also suffered and died for me, and then rose from the dead in victory. Continue to comfort me with the peace of knowing that one day I will see you face to face in the joys of heaven, and lead me safely there. Amen.
