Lifetime Daily DevotionsSample

After Jesus Was Gone

Matthew 28:1

They were huddled together, almost as one, hands locked, arms intertwined, looking dully at the tomb. Their faces were streaked with the tears and dust of the day. THUD! The stone fell and covered the opening, and the sound seemed to draw the last ounce of strength from their weary bodies. They slumped and drew closer. Two Marys: Mary Magdalene and Mary the sister of Lazarus.

What a tragic day it had been! They were awakened with the news that Jesus had been taken captive, and the events that followed had left them numb, ravaged, desolate, alone.

Jesus. He had touched their lives. Oh yes, in dramatically different ways, but He was Jesus. They had a common bond. They loved Him. They needed Him. They had believed Him. Now He was gone.

Do you frown on them for their silence? Do you judge them for their tears? Have you never sat and watched a loved one being lowered into a grave? Gone.

I know, good will come. Thats a promise. But times such as these are not times to exhort, to teach, to point out how God works through suffering in order to reveal His grand plan. Be quiet and let them grieve. They're lonely. Their hearts have been bruised and broken. They're remembering what their lives were like before Jesus came, trying to imagine life now . . . without Him. They're trying to sort through the confusion; they're frightened by all of the crumbled dreams that will never come to pass; They're wondering why His power was limited . . . Couldn't He have done something? Oh, Jesus, Jesus. How am I going to face tomorrow without You? You filled my days with purpose and meaning. You made my life so beautiful, and now You're gone! Gone! Oh, no! I love You. I need You. Come back, come back! Please don't leave me.

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My precious Lord. I understand their grief. How frightening it would be to think that You would not be in my life tomorrow . . . that You had come -- and gone -- and all that was left for me was remembering.

But no! You are here, beside me . . . inside me. Forever! I will never be without You! You are my Life, my Song, my Hope, my Peace, my Joy, my Strength, my Everything! Thank You that I will never have to experience what dear Mary Magdalene and sweet Mary went through. Would You please tell them that I love them and that I'm looking forward to meeting them?