Debbie shares her thought for the week; believe before you see.
On Easter Sunday morning, Matthew 28 tells us that the women came to the garden, where they were met by an angel and an empty tomb. The angel told them that Jesus was alive, and that they should go and tell the disciples. Verse 8 tells us that they ran quickly from the tomb, very frightened, but filled with joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message.
Faced with an empty tomb, the women chose to believe that Jesus was alive, to trust what the angel had said, and then to obey and do exactly what they’d been told to do. They didn’t have the hindsight that we have — the Bible, the words of Jesus, laid out clearly for us to see. They had what they knew in that moment, and they trusted and they believed. They hadn’t even seen that Jesus was alive yet, but they chose to believe and to obey.
What are you waiting for? What have you not yet seen in your life that you need to believe God for? Is it the resolution of a financial situation? Is it healing? The restoration of a relationship? Guidance for the future, or something else?
God doesn’t always act in the way that we expect or even want, and that’s hard. But there’s always some way that God is asking us to be involved in the situation, even when we can’t see anything happening. Perhaps, like the women, God is asking you to go somewhere, to investigate a new opportunity, to make that appointment. Maybe he’s asking you to make a call, write an email or a letter, or organise that meetup. Maybe — and this is hard — he’s just asking you to wait and to pray.
When the women believed and obeyed, what happened then? Verse 9 tells us they met Jesus right in the middle of the situation. He was there. But — and this is the detail that challenged me today — he didn’t change what they had to do. He repeated the angel’s command: “Go and tell my disciples.” Just because they had seen him didn’t take away the need to obey. The disciples still needed to know, now more than ever. However, the women now had that extra confirmation they needed — he really was alive.
So in the midst of your circumstances, believe that God is there and he is working. Obey what he’s asking you to do, and he will meet you right there — reminding you that he’s alive and with you in every single circumstance. Have a great week.
Every week one of our members shares a short thought aiming to inspire you for the week. You can watch previous Thought For The Week videos by clicking here.