Background
Even in the midst of suffering, and in what is seen as prophetic of the coming of Jesus many hundreds of years later, Job had faith that God was his redeemer and that one day he would see God.
Bible Reading: Job 19:25-27
I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on 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!
John 11:25-27
Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she replied, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God."
A Reflection
In the middle of a British winter, browsing through holiday brochures can give you an image of what might be to come the following summer: smart hotels, pristine beaches and clear waters. In a similar way ultrasound scans twelve weeks into a pregnancy give a glimpse of the life to come around twenty-eight weeks later. We take both of these for granted today, but such ways of glimpsing the future are only a relatively recent possibility.
It is remarkable to me that, maybe two thousand years before Christ, Job, in all his suffering, had the insight to glimpse what the coming of Jesus would mean in terms of redemption and resurrection. For Job, this insight enabled him to navigate his way through his own pain and suffering. For Martha such a glimpse gave her hope at the death of her brother Lazarus.
What difference does it make to the way you live your life that Jesus is your redeemer?
What difference does it make to the way you live your life that, through faith in Jesus we have eternal life?
Most of us shy away from thoughts of our own mortality, choosing rather to live for the present. But for Christians, thoughts of our own mortality should be intrinsically linked with thoughts of our own immortality. With Job we believe that ‘In my flesh I will see God’ and with Martha we have faith that by believing in Jesus we ‘Will never die’. We look forwards to eternal life and to a resurrected body.
We may not spend much time thinking about our mortality, but I wonder if thinking more about our immortality would better enable us to withstand the difficulties of life
Pray:
Lord God, give me the faith to live in the light of redemption
and the courage to live in the promise of resurrection.
Amen
I know that my redeemer lives