Devotional
The Cross Still Stands
C
onsider this scene inside a funeral home: a grieving family gathered around the casket of a departed loved one. The camera captures the lines of grief etched on their faces: the pain is heartbreaking; the tears flow freely. They look so hopeless; so abandoned; so alone. Even God seems to have deserted them. Then the camera moves a few steps back and captures the same scene. But from this wider angle, we see more than just the grieving family; we see the wall behind them. And hanging there is a picture of Jesus with His arms outstretched—looking down in love and compassion upon the beavered. You are not alone, says Jesus. Even as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I am with you (see Ps. 23:4).
WHEN ALL ELSE IS GONE
When tragedy strikes, it’s tempting to become so focused on our loss that we fail to recognize that God is still with us. When all else is gone, what remains is God. No one understood that better than Job. In a single afternoon he lost everything—his health, his wealth, his children, his friends; even his wife turned on him: “Curse God and die,” she told him (Job 2:9). But what did Job do? “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped” (Job 1:20, KJV)—and he blessed the name of the Lord (see verse 21). What gave him the strength? The answer is found in Job 19:25. And Job said: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth.” Notice where his focus is? Not on what has been taken away—but on what remains. Everything is gone—but God remains. The lesson for us: If through all our trials our dependence on God’s faithfulness remains intact, then, like Job, we have the foundation on which to rebuild. 24
May 2022 AdventistWorld.org
Image: Aaron Burden
