Day 138, or May 18. We need help to deal with the Holy God. Our thoughts today are from
Job chapter 9 verse 33. If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to
bring us together. And now the big picture surrounding this verse. Job won't let up
as he pushes harder and harder to gain justice as his world falls apart around him. Another
of his friends, Bildad the Shuhite, joins in, and so Job hears a different voice
but is no more persuaded than he was when Eliphaz was speaking. Job risks losing his
friends as he seeks justice from God, and it says a lot for them that they don't walk
away but remain steadfast with their friend, Job, even if it's only in order to put him
right. All the religious people around Job would be used to having a priest to stand
between them and their God. The idea is as old as time itself. You can't approach God
without someone being present to argue your case for you. In an almost throwaway remark,
Job blurts out if only there was someone to mediate between me and God. He knew that it
would take a very special person, but he didn't know anyone like that.
And now today's action step. Bearing in mind that Job predates Jesus by two thousand
years, it was an amazing prophetic statement when he said that he was lost without a mediator.
The world is full of people today who believe if they live respectable lives and do more
good things than bad, then they will be okay when they stand before God. Therefore they
don't need a go-between. It's hard to grasp, without the help of the Holy Spirit, that
no matter how good we are, we still need a mediator to plead our case before the living
God, whose standard is perfection. This may appear to be a hopeless situation, but it
isn't. Far from it. It is filled with hope from our mediator, Jesus Christ. Maybe this
is the time for you to trust Christ's sacrifice on the cross is the one that will put you
right before God. Please take this opportunity to listen to Day 21 again.