Good morning. Today’s devotion is taken from Luke
24: 1-12
Jesus was just crucified 3 days ago and his
followers assumed he remains dead. This passage is about the discovery of the
empty tomb by women followers of Jesus Christ. When the women went to the tomb,
they were surprised the body was Jesus was not there. Two angels reminded the
women that when Jesus was alive, he told them that the Son of Man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and will rise on the third day (V.7).
The women then went to the disciples to tell them what has just happened but
the disciples did not believe them.
God chose unlikely
witnesses
The fact that women were the first ones to discover
the empty tomb and therefore were the first witness is a not an incidental
detail. First, this is significant because women’s testimony in those days was
not generally accepted and therefore it serves as an apologetic argument to the
truth of the resurrection.
Second, it tells us that God can use and will use
people who are generally not chosen by people. I would have chosen Peter or
John to be the first to discover the empty tomb because their testimony will
not be questioned. God used Moses who could not speak well to deliver the Ten
commandments and to part the Red Sea. He chose David who was just a shepherd
boy (1 Samuel 16:6-10) who defeated Goliath and became King of Israel. God used Paul mightily who was actively
persecuting Christians and went on to write more than half of the New
Testament. God can use ordinary people like you and me in extraordinary
ways. We will always think we are unqualified but it is not about us. It is
about Him. We are vessels of his grace and he will use our limitations for His glory.
Told but
forgotten
The women at the empty tomb forgot or did not
realise that Jesus already told them that he will rise again on the 3rd
day (Matthew 16:21). The disciples also did not remember or appreciate what
Jesus told them before as they were in hiding. They were paralyzed by grief and
fear. Can you blame them? They had just witnessed their friend and Messiah
crucified on the cross. It was devastating for them. When we are in the midst
of pain, suffering or darkness, we sometimes forget God’s promises. We are so
overwhelmed by our emotions that we forget to turn to God. God reminded Joshua
to meditate on the Word of God day and night, he told Joshua “Have I not
commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go”. We must always
look to God’s word and trust that he is in control over any situation.
Prayer:
Lord, we thank you that we are a new creation and
thank you that we can be called a Child of God. We thank you that You live in
all of us and through you we can do more than our own abilities. Teach us to
trust you to use our weaknesses for Your Glory. We pray for your strength in
the midst of storms and crisis and to be firmly rooted in You so that no storm
of life will shake us. Take away our fear and replace it with faith in your
everlasting love. Amen.