The word “endure” is repeated as a reminder to lose our focus on the heavenly rewards awaiting us. The faithful of chapter 11 are reminders that, although frail and weak as we, they remained focused on the reward, a better land, that is a heavenly one. They line the sidelines as onlookers of a marathon cheering us onward and like them we also have a race perfectly ordained by our heavenly Father. Now we toil all night not realizing that our Master has a breakfast prepared for us. We stand at the edge of the field of harvest and hear the Master say, look up, the fields are white for harvest reminding us “The one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together.” The Master’s yoke is easy and his burden is light so run as a soldier who has trained outfitted in spiritual armor.

Job was blameless by God’s standards and yet he faced struggles unknowing what had transpired in heaven between our adversary and God. Consider this, he endured even though God was silent from chapter 3 to 38. Know this—most of us are only at chapter 23! Job trusted God just as Jesus trusted God. Christ is our pre-eminent example of endurance.

The key is endurance; the reward and our rewarder is Christ.

Photo: Nastassia Yakushevich: Dreamstime + Author’s caption