Job wanted his story chiseled onto lead sheets or into stone. Posterity would be amazed to hear about it! The story is excruciatingly in its grief. It is also buoyant with hope and vindication. There is no book like it for wrestling with the questions of the sovereignty of God and human suffering.

I would love to interview Job to learn how he got his surge of prophetic hope. It is so polar to the rest of the story’s pain and loss!

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth;

And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;

I myself will see him with my own eyes–I, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25-27)

Job was caught into a realm of inspiration that is still pulsing for us today. To read this passage is to be eradiated with hope!

A living Redeemer! Who could that be?

Standing on the earth at the end of days!

God visible to the human eye!

Job confesses that even after all his skin is destroyed, that is in death – in spite of that, from the vantage place of his own flesh he would see God with his own eyes! Here we find the first picture of resurrection, perhaps 2000 years before Jesus’ advent! How powerful! After the flesh has all rotted in the grave, after death, Job would once again have flesh and see his redeemer with his very own eyes! A proxy was not going to see God for him. Job himself would see the redeemer with his own peepers – after resurrection!

Then comes the verse that generates spiritual goose bumps: “How my heart yearns within me!”

The man who had lost everything, that was just then suffering physical torment, is overcome with craving for the future – to drink in the face of his Redeemer, with his own eyes. How do you spell “ecstasy?”

“How my heart years within me!”

Steven C Johnson

Landingstripenterprises

One of the greatest questions ever posed is found in Job 14:14. “If a man dies will he live again?” It is more than an idle question! Job was in an appalling crash and burn scenario. Chances are he didn’t know that Satan was forbidden to take his life. Death had to be the next abysmal trial.

The decaying world says, “After death you’re fertilizer.” Job had a holy premonition that God might say, “Yes, you will live again!” Job is thought to be the oldest book in the Bible. This then is the first twinkle of hope in Scripture that the grave doesn’t have the last word.

Job was reeling in questions. It seemed to him that God was fuming with anger towards him. The grave might be a hiding place. Job could wait there while God’s anger cooled.

In the sweetest of notions Job imagines God missing him and calling to the dust in the grave. “You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made.” The Creator in effect says, “Job, I’ve been longing for your company. Arise from the dead!”

“If a man dies will he live again?” In his trials Job had a reason to hope!

After five more chapters of dialogue Job will have a burst of progressive revelation about the resurrection of the dead. More tomorrow.

Steven C. Johnson

Landingstripenterprises

“If only you would hide me in the grave

and conceal me till your anger has passed!

If only you would set me a time

and then remember me!

If a man dies, will he live again?

All the days of my hard service

I will wait for my renewal to come.

You will call and I will answer you;

you will long for the creature your hands have made.

Surely then you will count my steps

but not keep track of my sin.

My offenses will be sealed up in a bag;

you will cover over my sin. Job 14:13-17 (NIV)

“Mommy, what happened to the kitty?” From early childhood we were introduced to death as we saw a dead animal by the road or the dead fly on the window sill.

I remember in my childhood going to my Grandpa’s funeral. I didn’t like it. Everyone was sad and when I was escorted to the open box grandpa looked very bad, scary bad. They were going to put him in the ground forever. It was creepy and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like death!

A neighbor kid told me how to beat death. All you had to do was hold your breath while you drove by a cemetery and you would live another year. You know what? It worked! I kept living. Of course it was challenging to hold my breath past the long ones. This may explain my good lung capacity.

My senior year of high school I learned a better “trick” for escaping the queasy fear of death. Just as I had shared the hold-your-breath trick with playmates I began sharing this new solution with friends and strangers.

When a child stands by the casket of a sibling, parent or loved one there is a feeling – “This is not right. This feels icky. We shouldn’t die. This is wrong.” The reason for this is found in Solomon’s words, “He has set eternity in the hearts of men”. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Adults have been seduced into the idea of “accepting” death while children still know it is terribly wrong. Why? Because God has put in our hearts a longing for eternity as inwardly fixed as the urge for birds to migrate. We can imagine life before we were born and life after. We sense that our grandparents and friends should be alive forever and pine for something called eternity.

This might be the prayer for the day;

“Dear Father God, help me know what it means that you have placed eternity in my heart. Reveal to me your solution to the death quandary and the way to everlasting Life.” Help me to communicate the Hope of eternity with children who need Your comfort today.”

For your encouragement and the glory of God,

Steven C Johnson

Note: We are starting up our blog again at https://landingstripenterprises.com/ . You can see past posts there.

Today was a national holiday, although you may have missed it. We sold our two apartment buildings. A big event for us! No we didn’t make a profit, but we did get most of our money back out of our 21 units. We left our sweat equity in the wiring, plumbing and paint. They say, “The greater the tuition the better the education.” In that case we have had a splendid education the past 7 years!

I have honed my business, management and remodeling skills. I have had the opportunity to meet and interact with a number of people and in the process bring a little salt into situations.

While we may not have come out of the sale with financial wealth it is my hope that somehow our labors may have a heavenly return. In my faulty way I have sought to share the light of Jesus with our renters. I know some have been touched.

Pam and I and our daughter Anna celebrated by going to The Island in Pigeon Forge, riding the 200 feet high Ferris wheel, eating spaghetti ice, visiting a jewelry shop and listening to some outdoor music.

As a “by the way” – August 10th is Pam’s 60th BD! I asked Pam If I could put on a party for her but she said, “No.” However if you would like to send her a card I’m sure she would like that. Please no jokes about getting older.

Our address is

2154 Little Valley Rd

Sevierville, TN 37862

Pam’s email is [email protected]

Have you heard that God is good?

Steve Johnson