A Bold Declaration
But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives. In the end, he will stand upon the earth. — Job 19:25
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. — Romans 8:28
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: Job, blameless and blessed, lost his possessions, his children, and his health, yet in the midst of tribulation he held on to a defiant certainty: his Redeemer lives. We too will need to declare boldly what we know about God when trials, our minds, our emotions, and even our bodies drive us to doubt his goodness and faithfulness. Even when we see no answer, we can believe that God is beyond the tragedy, that he knows what he is doing, and that redemption will come. We must not give up, but hold fast to our confession and continue seeking him, for the answer may come even in the darkest hour.
Job was a true man of God, upright in his ways. Nothing wrong could be found in him. God had blessed him tremendously.
The book of Job tells us that the devil says to the Lord, ‘Yes, Job blesses You and serves You because You have given him everything: riches, children, prosperity, a great reputation. Now take some of that away from him and see whether he does not curse You.’
And you know the story: the testing began in Job’s life; he lost all his money, then he lost all his children. Finally, his health. But Job stood firm at all times, even when his own wife said to him, ‘That God whom you serve so devotedly is good for nothing. Curse Him and die already.’ And these are Job’s words in the midst of his great loss and tribulation: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives.’
I am struck by those ‘I know’ statements that appear in the Scriptures. Many times the Bible says this: ‘I know.’ (One example: ‘For I know whom I have believed, and I am certain that He is able to keep what I have entrusted to Him until that day.’)
And it is like hurling a stone straight at the giant’s forehead. It is a defiant ‘I know.’ It is an ‘I know’ that says: ‘You know what? Even though I am going through trials and difficulties, even though everything is not going well for me, even though the fig tree does not blossom, even though my own mind denies it, I know that my God is on the other side of that tragedy, I know that the sun is behind those clouds, I know that the day of my redemption is coming, and in the meantime I am not going to give up. I will hold fast to my confession; I will believe that God is good, that He knows what He is doing.’
At times, we will have to make a bold declaration. Many times you will have to fight against your emotions, against your own brain, against your very biology, which rebels against that God whom you think ‘does not listen to me, does not care about me, is not as faithful as He says He is.’ You have to rise above that, hold fast to your confession, and continue seeking Him. Who knows whether, in that last prayer—the one you believe will be the final prayer you offer before truly giving up—the blessing may come at that very moment. Sometimes God waits until the darkest hour of the night before answering our prayers. Hold fast to your confession, and God will give you the victory.