The Power of Resurrection

He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 1 Corinthians 15:4

Easter is upon us, and with the chaos of life I’ve hardly given it a single thought.

Until today…

I was taking a walk when I began to think about all of the pain and heartache in my family and my friends. Sickness. Injury. Loss. Grief. My heart is so incredibly heavy for so many people I love dearly.

As I contemplated this life and the trials we face, my mind immediately remembered Greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world(1 John 4:4), that our Savior has overcome this world and all the trials that come with it (John 16:33).

And that’s when I remembered the resurrection.

Because of the resurrection, I know His healing is so much greater than our sickness.

Because of the resurrection, I know separation is not forever.

Because of the resurrection, I know His peace is available to overcome all my fears and anxieties.

Because of the resurrection, I know His love will overcome any rejection I face on this earth.

Because of the resurrection, I know there’s ample grace available to cover all my sins.

Because of the resurrection, I know there’s hope for those running from God.

Because of the resurrection, I know there’s no power on this earth that can hold me down, that can hold me back from the abundant life God wants me to have.

Right now, there’s pain and sickness and loss and grief and so much more all around me. But because of the resurrection, I have the promise that it won’t last forever, that one day God will have us all back on our feet for good (1 Peter 5:10).

How do we find the promise, the power to overcome?

Abide. John 15:5 reminds us that He is the vine and we are the branches, that we must abide in Him so we bear much fruit. What is that fruit? It’s the fruit of the Spirit so lovingly poured out upon us when we are lost in Him, focused on Him. It’s His perfect peace that wipes away every fear when our minds are stayed upon Him. It’s the supernatural strength that gives us what we need just to get through the day. It’s His grace that is sufficient, way more sufficient than we could ever imagine. And as we show this fruit, we also see the fruit of others coming to our Father.

How do we abide? We make His word a priority. We get up in the morning and surrender our day to God, asking Him to live through us. We fill our minds with things that are lovely and noble and true and right and excellent and praiseworthy. We make sure our minds are filled with the things of God.

Maybe it’s the music you are listening to that needs to be changed. Maybe it’s the social media distraction that needs to be removed. Maybe it’s the television that needs to be turned off to make room for the word. Whatever it is that keeps you from God, get rid of it.

Be honest with God. I can never overstate the importance of honesty with God. I’ve told my kids many times just to go off by themselves, yell at God, tell Him how angry they are…and let God’s love pour over them.

There’s something about being honest with God (even though He already knows). In that moment when we are willing to come clean before Him, He somehow pours out His love in tangible ways. He whispers in our hearts words of love that pour over the brokenhearted.

And when we hear that quiet whisper rejoicing over us with singing, we must remember it’s a whisper because He is so near.

Change our perspective. So often, we get wrapped up in the pain of this life and we can’t see beyond our struggles. It’s easy. It’s human nature.

But what if we could take a step back and see it from a different perspective? Let me just give you a little snippet from my own life. These last three years have been excruciating. My kids lost their dad. Roy lost his dad. Roy’s daughter has been through all kinds of emotional turmoil

Yet, God placed Roy in our lives at exactly the right moment, the moment when their earthly father was no longer here and they needed a man to love them. At the same time, he placed Roy in a home with three individuals who know the pain of losing a dad so they could be a support to him. And, before Roy “lost” his own children, God placed him in a family of three teenagers who wanted a dad so badly.

You see, although it may not look the way any of us planned it, God has carefully provided for our every need, given us the desires of our hearts. It may not be perfect in the eyes of the world, but God in His grace has so lovingly provided redemption to our broken lives.

Sometimes we just have to take a step back, adjust our perspective, and see how God in His goodness is taking care of us, redeeming our pasts—even if it doesn’t look anything like we imagined it would.

I am so very thankful for the resurrection because it reminds me that no matter how dead things on this earth might seem, nothing is beyond the power of God. There’s always hope. Always hope for a better tomorrow. Always hope for healing. Always hope for a fresh start. Always hope for redemption.

What power…

And that very power is at work in us today. Don’t ever forget you have the power of the resurrection available to you today.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20