Life is a Breath
Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good. The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more; while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone.
Job 7:7-8
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Life is a Breath
For the first time Job speaks directly to God. Job is frightened and worried that his life will quickly be taken from him. He laments the fleeting nature of our earthly lives and fears God has so severely punished him that he is endanger of being stamped out by God, to be seen by Him no more. Job in his lament and despair comes close to falling away from God, and this is precisely what the devil had hoped for. He wants Job to turn from God and curse Him. It is the same desire the devil has for you. The slings and arrows for this short breath of a life can seem to be a constant overwhelming force. As people of faith your Baptism has paced a mark on you. A target for the devil to aim at. The devil need not torment the unbeliever, he already has them, it is the faithful who suffer the attacks, as in Job’s case, as in yours. Yet what the devil misses is that the mark made in your Baptism, though he may use for a target, is in fact a shield. For the mark of Baptism is the cross of Christ. And in His cross, we find refuge and protection from the assaults of the devil. It is at the foot of the cross, where Christ shields us from the evil one’s arrows, and the blood which is spilt is not our own, but that of Jesus. It is in this same blood where we are washed clean and where our victory over the devil is won. “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb,” (Revelation 12:11).
Job 7:7-8
+
Life is a Breath
For the first time Job speaks directly to God. Job is frightened and worried that his life will quickly be taken from him. He laments the fleeting nature of our earthly lives and fears God has so severely punished him that he is endanger of being stamped out by God, to be seen by Him no more. Job in his lament and despair comes close to falling away from God, and this is precisely what the devil had hoped for. He wants Job to turn from God and curse Him. It is the same desire the devil has for you. The slings and arrows for this short breath of a life can seem to be a constant overwhelming force. As people of faith your Baptism has paced a mark on you. A target for the devil to aim at. The devil need not torment the unbeliever, he already has them, it is the faithful who suffer the attacks, as in Job’s case, as in yours. Yet what the devil misses is that the mark made in your Baptism, though he may use for a target, is in fact a shield. For the mark of Baptism is the cross of Christ. And in His cross, we find refuge and protection from the assaults of the devil. It is at the foot of the cross, where Christ shields us from the evil one’s arrows, and the blood which is spilt is not our own, but that of Jesus. It is in this same blood where we are washed clean and where our victory over the devil is won. “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb,” (Revelation 12:11).
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