How Do I Know?!
“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Job 19:25
I DON”T know how I know!
I DIDN”T always know!
I WASN”T looking to know!
I HATED those who knew!
But God…
I SHOULD”VE known!
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20
I SHOULD”VE known! There is no excuse – not ignorance, not being told, not seeing. The only thing I can possibly confess is, “I LIED!” I DID know!
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks,
But… I didn’t WANNA know!
Soooo…. I became futile in my speculations, and my foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, I became a fool, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Romans 1:21-23… you name it – I made an idol of it.
Believe me, I’m not proud of ever being a FOOL! And… I would have remained a fool, had God not intervened – had God not “wrestled” with this fool of fools.
I was just playing my normal game of, “Feel sorry for me so that I might use you to feed my desire to descend the ladder of “POOR – POOR me – me – me- me”. Why? Because I make the rules and I demand you play!
Did I ever really think of the consequences of when/if I ever reached the last step of the ladder? NO! That would be futile to my foolish heart! After all, according to my speculations, there is NO end – just NOTHINGNESS! Who needs God when there is no hope for anything more than just here and now?
“You need Jesus!”
With those words, the wrestling match began! A wrestling match, not with the lady who voiced them, but with the Author who spoke them.
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11
It will not return empty!!!!! It DID NOT return without accomplishing what God desired!!!
Please know, it was not a wrestling match of violence (though I threw some giant tantrums), it was a wrestling match of a Father – His Son – and His Holy Spirit, Who deeply loved me (even more so when I was unloveable) and longed to birth me into their family, and make me a new-born child of God. It was a “labor of love”, and no amount of labor pain or length of it, would stop the Parent Who knew me before there was a twinkle in my earthly daddy’s eye – or his daddy’s eye – or his daddy’s eye… or… (Psalm 139)
It was indeed a LONG labor for me, to God it was but a moment of accomplishing what He desired. In hindsight that first breath taken in my Father’s arms was my first moment of KNOWING my Redeemer lives!
Through the years, God and I have wrestled many MANY time! From my whining, “WHY do I need to study Your Word, just give me the Cliff Notes!”, to the “BUT I NEED…!”, I have followed my forefather Jacob in “Wrestling Mania”…
Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “ I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Genesis 32:24-26
And indeed, God has blessed me with His promises of inheritance of His kingdom. And yes, many times I have walked away with a limp!
Who am I that the Lord our God should take notice of me and wrestle with me until I KNOW HIM as my Redeemer LIVES? Until I KNOW (beyond a shadow of any doubt) He will take His stand on the earth?
Who am I and How Do I Know?
It isn’t because I’m so smart! It isn’t because I’m and extra special child of God? It isn’t even because I’m gifted to serve by the Holy spirit (though I am).
It is because… it is God who is at work in me, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13
From the moment He declared I would be me, to the moment He breathed His breath of life in me (twice!), it IS/WAS/and WILL ALWAYS BE God who does the work in me.
The only thing I did to Know my Redeemer lives, is to say, “Ok, let’s wrestle!”
How do I know at the last He will take His stand on the earth?
Because He says He will… Every Knee shall bow, every tongue will confess -HE IS LORD!
in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. Deuteronomy 4:31
How do I know?
I returned and I LISTEN to His voice…
How about you?
**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.