Between death and life

Yesterday was Good Friday and tomorrow is Easter..so today is the day in the middle. We don’t know much about this day..  it had to be a terribly dificult day for those closest to Him. He was dead and in the tomb.. as far as they knew He was gone and so was their hope.

I can identify with that day in my own life..it reminds me of the many times when I have felt like He was gone. The silence was unbearable..He seemed to have left me ..shouldn’t I know better by now? The truth is.. we all experience times when we cannot feel His presence..when hope seems to have vanished..when the darkness surrounds us.

Is this day God’s way of showing us that there will be times like that? Surely Jesus could have resurrected the morning after..no gap..no waiting..no wondering. But that is not the way the story unfolds. There was a period of uncertainty and grieving. He appeared to be dead..it seemed to be over. Were they hopeful? Did they secretly wonder if He might reappear? We don’t know their thoughts and feelings.. but we do know our own.

There is only one thing that helps me when I am waiting in the darkness..remembering what He said in John 14.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust also in me…I am the way the truth and the life…You can ask for anything in my name and I will  do it. so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.”

                                                                                                                                       

Two Days Away

Easter..it’s almost here. The most important holiday for those of us who follow Jesus..it commemorates the turning point when He fulfilled His destiny and changed ours. We are able to come to Him in freedom..without guilt or condemnation. Our lives are intimately connected to the heart of God through Him. It’s all rather mysterious..isn’t it?

For me this time of year tends to be heavy and heart wrenching.. I’m not sure why. I feel it every year at this time. It is as though my spirit is anticipating the moment when everything will change. The heaviness of that day on the cross seems almost palpable. Why would I be experiencing these type of feelings? I think I know..our hearts are joined with His..we are connected to Him and just as He remembers it all..we get a small dose of that memory. We anticipate the shift..from the season of suffering into the season of victory.

Let’s enter into this mini season and allow Him to bring anything to the surface that we need to face before Sunday. He is doing things in us..preparing us for that great moment when He made all things new. Are you weighed down right now? Is your heart heavy? He understands and He will bring you comfort as you lean into His arms. Two more days and then……….

Then Jesus shouted ” Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”