A Word for Today | Job 14:5
A pandemic like the one we now face inevitably brings the reality of death close to mind. One reason why each of us should be taking prudent steps and following guidelines is that the coronavirus is able to take our lives. Many of us, therefore, will have had the thought: “Is it likely that I soon will die?” Since we have been mortal all along, these are productive thoughts so long as we approach them through the lens of the Bible.
If we wonder, “When will I die?” the Christian has a clear answer in Job 14:5, which says that a man’s “days are determined, and the number of his months is with you.” This states that each of us is going to die at a specific time determined in advance by God. Psalm 139:16 adds that God foreknew our whole lives before they even happened: “in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me.” This means that unless Jesus returns first, every one of us is going to die at precisely the time that God appointed for us from all eternity.
Knowing that God has appointed our days does not give an excuse for Christians not to take proper precautions in the coronavirus pandemic. The sixth commandment requires us to be preservers of life, including our own and those of others whom we might infect. But this truth does comfort us that the coronavirus will not decide our fate, since God determined it long ago. The relevant question then becomes not when will I die, but how now should I live? I can easily imagine that many believers have thought about the possibility of dying in this pandemic. The way for us to respond is to ask ourselves what we are going to do with the days, months, and years the Lord is pleased to give us? Should not this new awareness of our mortality motivate us to live to God’s glory, for the blessing of those we love, and as witnesses to others who do not know Jesus, who is the way to eternal life (Jn. 14:6)?
The most urgent matter when we think of dying is to ensure that our souls are right with God. Here are more questions that become relevant when we realize that God has appointed the time of our death: Are my sins forgiven? Have I embraced in faith the one Savior God has sent for mankind, His Son, Jesus Christ? Have I believed the gospel and asked God to save my soul, remembering with Romans 10:13 that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”? With these questions in mind, Job did not question the matter of death but he did ask one important question: “If a man dies, shall he live again?” (Job. 14:14). You can know that you will live beyond the grave if you believe now in Jesus Christ and ask Him for salvation. He has promised: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (Jn. 11:25).
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Phillips