Empowered by the Holy Spirit – Job 19:25-27

Amidst suffering, the Lord gave to Job a wonderful revelation. In Job 19:25-27, the Lord gave to Job a witness that He existed and that He would redeem Job from the suffering that was waged against him. Job declared, “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’s inner witness about who the Lord was and what He would do for him was a gift of faith from God. This kind of faith helped Peter to speak boldly for Christ amidst people who sought to do him harm. In Acts 5:32, Peter declared, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

In Acts 5:40-42, the religious leaders “called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the Name of Jesus and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” Such resilience for a cause is beyond normal. Like Job, Peter and the apostles had a revelation from God of their Redeemer.

According to Job 1:6-2:9, the devil wanted Job to curse God. He robbed Job of his children, his wealth, and his health. His wife urged him to curse God and die. His three friends believed that he was getting what he deserved. In Job 16:2, he told them, “You are miserable comforters, all of you!”

God’s Spirit let Job know that His Redeemer lived. He would be satisfied when he saw God.

Praise the Lord! God assures by His Word and by His Spirit that Jesus is the Son of God. In Romans 15:13, Paul wrote to Christians, saying, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Do you have peace in believing in Jesus? Paul says that the peace to believe in Jesus comes as God fills the believer with hope and with joy by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Christianity is different than other religions because it is more than just an intellectual assent to various belief statements. For sure, we do have belief statements such as the Apostles’ Creed, but the kind of faith that the apostles had was fueled by a personal relationship with the Lord.

In John 3:1-20, a man steeped in Scripture knowledge came to Jesus by night. He said to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Nicodemus could see that for Jesus and His apostles, religion was more than words on a page in a religious book. Religion was more than a weekly social gathering for them. Their faith in God had the breath of God breathing life into their faith. Theirs was a faith from above not generated solely from earthly education.

Jesus told Nicodemus, ““Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Jesus described the work of the Holy Spirit as a wind that breathes new life into people. Incidentally, the word for spirit and wind are the same Greek word in the New Testament.

Peter and the Apostles were different people after the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit filled them and provided for them strong convictions about Jesus Christ. From Acts 2 and forward they were not the same men as they were before Jesus died and resurrected.

Acts 4:33 says, “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” The grace was God’s Spirit and Word living in them.

Do you want to be an effective witness for Jesus Christ? If so, then, be a witness for Him by the power of His Holy Spirit. Be open to the work of the Holy Spirit! Trying to impact the world for Christ in one’s own strength is comparable to using a hand-held sickle to harvest a large field of grain when God your father wants to provide you with a motorized combine harvester that is powered by a 700 horsepower diesel engine.

In 2 Peter 1:10, Peter wrote, “My brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.” The Lord Jesus reveals His calling to us by His Spirit as we seek Him. And what I have discovered is that the more I shun earthly entertainments and indulgences to focus on the great commission, the more clearer and easier it becomes to receive revelations from Jesus concerning my calling. The Holy Spirit helps me to discern what is that perhaps, one thing, the Lord wants to accomplish through me for His glory and for the salvation of others.

What is that main thing God wants you to do? Ask Him to reveal it to you. Then, continuously pray the Lord to develop and cultivate His vision in you. Don’t waste your life trying to please your flesh! The flesh never says, “Enough!” God has an exciting and meaningful purpose for you.

1 John 2:28 says, “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”

Know, like Job did, that your Redeemer lives and He will greatly reward your commitment to Him!

In 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul wrote, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Recently, I was having a bad day. I was striving to get something done, but it wasn’t getting done. Then, thankfully, the Holy Spirit brought me to my face on the floor before God. I found myself praying, “Jesus, I just want to love You. I want to be with You. I don’t want anything else but to serve and honor You and lead others to do the same.” The next day, I woke up with so much inspiration and clear leading of God’s will for my life. I was excited. Serving Him became a great pleasure for me once again. I could say with Job, “I know my Redeemer lives!”

How does Job apply to our lives? The Lord provides for us an application in James 5:11, saying, “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” Hold onto the Lord amidst trials! The Lord turns trials into gold.

In Romans 8:28, Paul wrote, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

In 1 Peter 5:10-11, Peter wrote, “The God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Would you like the Lord to go before you and lead you? Would you like the Lord to show you a better way? Would you like the Lord to send help your way? To supply that missing piece to the puzzle? Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. Obey His leading. The Holy Spirit may speak to you directly or through someone who just happens to say the right thing at the right moment. I have been helped in this way numerous times.

I have heard people from various walks of life testify that their breakthroughs came after great trials. They were so broken. They turned to the Lord just to heal their broken hearts, and it was in that moment that God transformed their lives.

Ultimately, the Lord loves you and He delights to make your life more fruitful for His glory! Never give up on the brink of a miracle.