| “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.” |
| —Job 19:25 |
I’ve mentioned several times, in various posts on this blog, how certain songs have stayed with me throughout my life. Usually, the memory stems from a catchy tune, or the earnestness of the words. It’s this latter quality that has embedded a song written by J. Wilbur Chapman, a Presbyterian evangelist of the 19th century, in the depths of my memory. He titled this song simply “One Day.”
One day when Heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt among men, my example is He!
Refrain: Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising He justified freely forever:
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!
One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain,
One day they nailed Him to die on the tree;
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected:
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He!
Refrain: Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising He justified freely forever:
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!
One day they left Him alone in the garden,
One day He rested, from suffering free;
Angels came down o’er His tomb to keep vigil;
Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He!
Refrain: Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising He justified freely forever:
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!
One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door;
Then He arose, over death He had conquered;
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore!
Refrain: Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising He justified freely forever:
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!
One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,
One day the skies with His glory will shine;
Wonderful day, my beloved One bringing;
Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!
Refrain: Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising He justified freely forever:
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!
The awareness of God’s redemptive grace is palpable in the consciousness of all who believe in the life-transforming power of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. It fuels our daily existence. It encourages us to live with determination and also with great joy. And, we are not alone in feeling so strongly His divine Presence. The Patriarch Job, though he lived thousands of years ago—and long before Jesus came to earth in human form—understood the majesty of God’s Son. Notice what Job declares, as recorded in Job 19:25:
I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
Only through the revelation by the Holy Spirit could Job utter such words. And, it is by this same Holy Spirit that we, on this new day, can declare the very same reality: we know that our redeemer lives!
May God remind us of this great truth all through this day, and every day.
Based on a blog originally posted on Monday, July 23, 2018
