JOB 19:25-27: “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!”

OBSERVATION: Life is difficult. It is filled with times of blessing and times of great struggle. The follower of Jesus is not removed from either. A believer faces the same struggles as a non-believer, yet with hope. It is this hope, this assurance that makes all the difference!

The Book of Job is a difficult book to read. It is not a book from which one can develop doctrinal statements from every page. It is filled with suffering, misunderstanding, criticism, and man-centered concepts of God and how He works. Job’s three friends, who were miserable comforters, are rebuked by God Himself in the end for their harsh treatment of Job.

Job was really no better. He blamed God for all that he was going through. He proclaimed his innocence as he looked at his actions but failed to look deep within his own heart. There are snippets of truth in every bit of dialogue between Job and his three miserable comforters. Yet there is rarely anything in these dialogues that we can proclaim as absolute truth.

Job’s wife tells him to curse God and die. Job’s friends tell him to repent of his sins. Job maintains his innocence and demands an audience with God. And yet, Job continues to suffer. His friends give him no hope. His family and relatives keep their distance. No one wants to hang around suffering.

Then something happens!

In a rare moment of clarity and faith, after wishing he were dead and proclaiming that the dead have no hope, Job makes a statement that rises above his suffering. It comes from the depth of his heart and reveals the essence of his faith. Buried under all the confusion and pain, the spirit of Job speaks. The words he speaks reveal the reason he endures.

Job is sustained by the hope of the Resurrection!

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!” (Job 19:25-27)

In the midst of all the suffering, amid all the confusion, and in contrast to all the criticism and judgment, the Holy Spirit gives Job clarity, hope, and the strength to endure. This suffering will not last. It is not final. This life is not the end. Even when there appears to be no hope, the believer’s hope remains.

• My Redeemer lives!
• My hope is anchored in Him!
• Jesus will come back to judge the quick and the dead.
• Jesus will reign in righteousness.
• My frail physical body will be transformed.
• I will stand before Him in all His glory.
• I will never suffer again!

This is what really anchored Job in all his suffering and confusion. It was a hope that eluded his miserable comforters, even his wife. It was not a rational hope. It stood in contrast to all he could see and all he was experiencing. It was a spiritual hope. It was the reality of heaven, the promise of eternal life, the promise of a new life and a new body that would never decay. Its truth is so wonderful that it transforms us from doubt to faith, from despair to hope, from death to life! Job proclaimed…

“I am overwhelmed at the thought!”

This morning I have dear friends whose lives are in the balance. They are battling life-threatening illness and challenges. I am praying for them. I believe that Jesus is their Healer! While I do not have a word from the Lord that I can proclaim, “You are healed!”, I do have a word that I can share with them without hesitation and with full assurance.

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God!“

God, in the end, healed Job. God is still healing today. We pray for healing with all our hearts, in the name of Jesus. We see some restored and some go to their everlasting home in heaven. I don’t have the answer for that. Those who pretend to are like Job’s three friends. They have an answer for every problem in life and a platitude for every question or objection.

Yet, what I do have, what I can share with confidence and full assurance every time, is, “My Redeemer Lives!” And because He lives, I will never die. This life may end, but it is merely just a step from life to life. My body, which grows old and decays, will one day be fully restored, and I will see Jesus in all His glory. This is the hope of the Resurrection!

This hope sustains me.

It comforts me.

It empowers me to face anything!

“But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies…But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 57 NLT)

“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT)

“…For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NLT)

In Jesus’ Name!