PSALM 8: 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7All sheep and oxen—Even the beasts of the field.
This question has been asked by sages, philosophers, theologians, and men of all ages. Who are we? Where did we come from; how old are we? We live on a planet spinning in infinite space, why are we here? These are questions we will seek to answer, at least in part. What does the Bible say about these perplexing questions?
Well, the Bible, God’s Word, tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27). This means not only do we have the same shape and form as God, but we also have the same faculties of mind, will, and emotion. So, we are like God.
We are children of God and like begets like. We are essentially a spirit. The Scriptures refer many times to man as a spirit and this is the first truth we need to understand.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?
ECCLESIASTES 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
The question needs to be asked, how long has your spirit been in existence? Was your spirit created the day you were conceived on earth, or, perhaps, at the moment of your birth?
To answer this question, we need to look at a few Scriptures:
2 TIMOTHY 1:9 9. who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
This verse tells us that God gave to us a calling and purpose before we were born into this world and before this world was created.
You were alive before the world was created. You are very old.
JEREMIAH 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Here, God is saying that before the prophet Jeremiah was born into this world, God ordained him to be a prophet to the nations.
One day while a mentor of mine was in prayer, during a time when He was under great pressure and stress, He had a heavenly visitation. This heavenly visitor taught him and gave him a great understanding about the trial of Job.
The following is a brief overview of what this visitor taught my mentor.
In the first 37 chapters of the book of Job, Job is complaining about his lot in life and the great trial he was going through.
In chapter 38 God calls him to account and asks him a question: . .
JOB 38:4 Where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.
God is asking Job where he was when the world was created. God then defines this period in time: JOB 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
When the foundations of the earth were laid, the sons of God shouted for Joy. These people, the sons of God, were there and saw it all. Then, God goes on to say this: JOB 38:21 Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? Or because the number of thy days is great?
On the surface it looks like God is mocking Job; however, this is not the case. The King James Version is not as clear as it could be. The original Hebrew for this verse gives a much clearer rendition of this verse. Let’s look at this verse in three other versions which give a more accurate translation of this verse.
JOB 38:21 (NAS Version) 21. You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!
JOB 38:21 (NIV) 21. Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years
JOB 38:21 (Living Bible) 21. But of course you know all this, you were born then and you are extremely old.
These Scriptures make clear that Job was one of the sons of God who shouted for joy when this world was created, and furthermore, he had great insight into the formation of this earth with all of its intricate detail.
The wonder of it all is even greater when you realize that you, too, were there when this world was created.
This knowledge is soon lost or veiled from us when we enter this life on earth and are clothed in mortal flesh.
God jogged Job’s memory of these events and this had a profound influence on him, breaking him out of his despair and reorienting him back to his purpose here on this earth.
Job had earlier said to God that he wanted to die (Job 6:8-9).
But in chapter 38, God was saying to him, “Job, you wanted to come here to this earth; you were given a mission, a purpose to fulfill here. Now stand up like a man and fulfill it!”
You too were sent from the presence of God to this earth to fulfill a high and noble calling (2 Tim 1:9).
Meditate on these things and let these truths fill you with awe.
This world is not your home; you are here on a mission.
Not all of the children of God have come or will come to this earth, but you were chosen.
Not all who come fulfill their mission and purpose for being here.
Through the cross of Jesus, you entered into the Kingdom of God and as a son of God, your mission is to bring heaven to earth. It is God’s purpose that you someday will return home a much greater, a more noble spirit in the image and likeness of Jesus.
Spend some time meditating on this. Why are you here? For what purpose did you come to this earth?
You – your spirit – is very old and knows much more than what your mind has comprehended to date. When your heart and mind agree, all things are possible for you in Christ Jesus. Ask, Knock, Seek, Search for truth – it will set you free.