Grave

Saturday was silent. The One who promised them life was dead. The One who spoke of saving others could not even save himself. How would he prepare those promised heavenly mansions when his body lay in a cold, dark tomb?

What do you do when you can’t pray? When the words won’t come. When your soul is exhausted. The great missionary J. Hudson Taylor came to that point. When anxiety filled his heart, he said, “I can’t read. I can’t think. I can’t pray. But I can trust.” We can all trust and know that the Holy Spirit is praying for us at a level we cannot comprehend.

Lazarus was four days dead. When Jesus said, “Lazarus, come out,” the dead man responded. Lazarus stood up and shuffled out of the tomb. His resurrected body still showed signs of death—strips of linen wrapped around his body and a burial cloth around his face.

Following Jesus is not a spectator sport. Look around you. And get involved in the work of the Lord in the lives of others.

Believers follow Jesus through life, death, and glorious resurrection. Anyone who believes in Jesus “shall never die.” That’s the Good News!

David, the great king, died, but Jesus defeated death itself by rising from the grave.

The true believer moves from life to death to life. One day our souls will be absent from our bodies and present with the Lord.

He gives us the invitation to help others take off their grave clothes of guilt, unworthiness, legalism, pride, and baggage of the past—what a tremendous privilege. Jesus raises the dead and then lets us set the new believer free!

Jesus is El Gibbor—the Mighty God. He is the One who fought for us all the way to the cross. He defeated Satan and death, rising triumphantly back to life.