“Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know. Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him. God raised Him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it. Acts 2:22-25
I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven gold lampstands, and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe and with a gold sash wrapped around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool – white as snow – and His eyes like a fiery flame. His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading waters. He had seven stars in His right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, and His face was shining like the sun at midday. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look – I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:12-18
My words…
Praise
Praise and adoration to the God who makes a tomb the setting for the single most transformative event in history. But it makes perfect sense. What other place draws the living and the dead together in one place? It was a part of Your plan that Jesus die. Really die. Jesus’ body was lovingly placed in a rich man’s tomb, closed off from the living by a boulder. You watched as Satan and his angels pumped their fists in celebration. Too bad for them their party was short-lived; it was also part of Your plan that Jesus would not hang out in the tomb for long. Luke tells me You raised Him up because death, for Jesus, was painful. Not just the act of dying, but the act of being dead. It pained Jesus to be apart from the living. It pained the living to be apart from Him. It was as if creation was off kilter while Jesus remained in the tomb. A boulder was no match when placed up against Your plan. Even a boulder the size of the planet Jupiter could not contain Your glory. Not possible. The name of Jesus is not associated with death. Jesus is life. Jesus is freedom. I rejoice that the only body held captive by Joseph’s tomb was Joseph’s.
Prayer for me
Lord, I fear, over time, my spirit has been worn down, like water flowing over a rough stone, wearing it smooth. Jesus, the Son of God, died and is now alive. Heard it a thousand times before. My spirit does not always awaken like the spring blossoms, lifting their petals to heaven in a show of praise. I have spent more time Easter shopping than I have Easter rejoicing. Help me rejoice in the fact that Jesus’ tomb never smelled of decay, for Your body did not lie there long enough! Remind me of the joy that Mary felt when she found the tomb empty. Pierce my worn spirit so the dazzling glory of the risen Christ will illumine every crevice of my heart.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I disregard or take for granted the one glorious event performed on my behalf to ensure my spirit will not remain in a tomb but will be lifted up one day.
Prayer for Others
Father, today, on this Resurrection Day, I pray for those who at one time believed in You, believed in Your resurrection and what it stood for, but they have turned their hearts away from the empty tomb and now walk their own paths. They lost something (or perhaps someone) and in the melee lost their faith as well. I know so many of these wayward souls, and my heart breaks for them. You see every wayward soul – how Your heart must ache. Refresh their hearts with a glimpse of the empty tomb. Resurrect them, Lord!
Thanksgiving
Lord, I share in the gratitude expressed by a woman from India who shared with me her journey to find You. She worshiped the idol gods of India throughout her childhood and adolescence. She slept on the steps of the temple, praying to the gods for spiritual fulfillment on earth and beyond. But the more she learned of these gods, the more she determined they were not gods at all. She went home and reasoned that god was dead. But You saw her and heard her and sent a servant to speak with her. He knocked on her door, but she refused to listen. But when he said (through the door) he worshiped a “living” God, she opened her door to hear more. You did the rest. She found her God who lives, who hears, who moves on this earth and beyond. And she dedicated her life to You as thanksgiving. Words are not enough. All that I do in Your name I dedicate to You as thanksgiving.
More Praise
Oh, to see You as John saw You in Your revelation to him! Head and hair white like snow, fiery eyes, feet like bronze. And Your voice, like cascading waters! But even more magnificent, Your words, “I am alive forever and ever.” Six words that shower Hope on all who have gone before, all who are now, and all who will be. Eternal comfort for those who believe. And what’s that You’re holding in Your hand? The keys of death and Hades. Since You defeated death through the single greatest act of love in history, You, and only You, are worthy to hold those keys. Like John, I fall at the feet of the First and the Last – the Living One. Hallelujah! You are risen!
