By Pastor Ronald Bernier, Master Builder Ministries, Fall River
In the midst of the trial of his life, Job declares something that is so profound and full of hope. In fact, he says he wished that the words he is going to say could be inscribed in a book, or engraved on a rock, so that they could be read forever.
Little did he know that these words would be inscribed in a book. We have all had the opportunity to read and contemplate what he declares in the midst of his suffering: "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God. Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:25-27).
What a declaration of faith and hope. Job trusted that God would one day send His Son Jesus, to walk upon this earth and taking on the form of a servant, become the sacrificial Lamb of God for our sins. Even more than that, because of His righteousness, God would raise Him from the dead, being the first-fruits of a great harvest. One that Job saw himself a part of. Even though he would suffer death (after my skin is destroyed), yet he would receive a resurrected body (in his flesh he would see God). This is what his heart yearned for. This is what gave him such great hope.
It reminds me of David who said, "One thing I have desired of The Lord, that I will seek; that I may dwell in the house of The Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of The Lord, and to inquire in His temple..." (Psalm 27:4). What does your heart yearn for? As you contemplate the love of God today, in and through the outstretched arms of Jesus, remember what Job declared. "My Redeemer lives!" May Jesus' life energize yours and give you greater hope.