If a Man Dies, Shall He Live Again? (Job 14:14 ESV)

“If a Man Dies, Shall He Live Again?” (Job 14:14 ESV)

Certainly we understand the decline of individuals as they age. We also are sadly familiar with those whose decline comes early due to disease or disability. Job is experiencing this, and he wonders: is there anything that can reverse this decline? “If a man dies, can he live again?” I would like to apply it more broadly.

For the person who is beset by gloom and despondency, will the light ever shine through again? For the one who has made a mess of his life and experienced all manner of humiliation, is restoration actually possible? These powerful forces that drag us down as beaten prisoners - what power is there that can bring light and life, peace and joy? Or is this just the way it is going to be?

You’ve seen many people with the look on their faces, drawn and sad, that indicates they have no hope for a reversal in a better direction. It’s not everyone, and in certain communities that have many helps and success stories, they may be in the minority. But there are other places where the defeated demeanor is almost the rule, and a smiling face is the exception.

If you are one who struggles in a bright, shiny community, then you know how to put on a happy face. You keep the darkness to yourself, and you learn how to converse in ways that express hope and expectancy. But for you, the hope and expectancy do not rule when you are alone with yourself. Doubt and depression are your lonely companions.

I suspect happy people don’t get Job. But what those who understand him must also understand is this: God has plans for Job, and it is not continual defeat. God has a future for Job, and it is not ruled by his present experience. God’s grace, that powerful force that can reverse depression and doubt and even death is at work in the present, and will bring us to glory, perhaps slowly, in His time.

We can’t see plants grow. But we can see that they have grown. And we can’t see how God is working in our lives. But one day, we will see that He has worked, graciously. And the little plant that seemed destined for death will, at some point, flower. And because of God and His grace, that flower will be beautiful. Its fragrance will be sweet. “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus. All trials will seem so small, when we see Christ. One look at His dear face, all sorrow will erase. So, bravely run the race, ’til we see Christ.”