Laid to Rest
Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. ~ Mark 15:46
Have you ever finished an exhausting project and thought, Finally, I can rest? There’s something satisfying about completing an assignment that has required everything you had to give. You finally reach the end, take a deep breath, and know the work is finished.
When Jesus had finished His earthly mission, after the unimaginable suffering of the cross, His body was lovingly wrapped and placed in a borrowed tomb. The beatings were over. The mocking had ended. The nails had been removed. The suffering was finished, and His work of paying for our sin was completed in this world.
From the disciples’ perspective, however, everything looked hopeless. The One they had followed for more than three years was dead. Their dreams seemed buried behind a massive stone. But God wasn’t finished. What looked like the end was actually the beginning of the greatest victory in history.
While Scripture doesn’t answer every question about what took place between Jesus’ death and resurrection, it leaves no doubt about the outcome. Death would not hold Him, the grave would not keep Him, sin was defeated and the resurrection was coming.
Isn’t that often how God works? There are seasons when all we can see is the tomb. We think a relationship has died. A dream has ended, a ministry opportunity has disappeared or a financial situation seems beyond repair. Yet God specializes in bringing life where we only see endings. Because Jesus conquered death, no situation is beyond His power.
Here are a few practical ways to live each day in this hope.
- Trust God when you can’t yet see the outcome. His silence never means He has stopped working.
- Give your impossible situations to Him in prayer instead of carrying them alone.
- Remember God’s past faithfulness whenever you’re tempted to lose hope.
- Share the hope of the resurrection with someone who needs encouragement.
I’ve seen some of God’s greatest miracles happen while it seems nothing was happening at all. Waiting seasons are rarely wasted seasons. God is often accomplishing things we can’t see yet. The disciples thought they were attending a funeral, but God was preparing a resurrection. What a difference three days can make.
Here are some ways you can get started today:
- Pray over one situation that seems impossible.
- Thank God for His faithfulness in past difficult seasons.
- Encourage someone who is walking through disappointment.
- Read the resurrection accounts with fresh hope.
Today I want to encourage you to place every hopeless situation into the hands of the Savior who defeated death itself. If He can bring life out of an empty tomb, He can certainly breathe fresh hope into the circumstances you’re facing today. Trust His timing, rest in His faithfulness, and remember that God is never finished simply because you can’t see what He’s doing. Sunday is always coming.
Today’s scripture reading: Mark 15:42-47
42 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.
45 So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
46 Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.
Journal:
- What situation feels buried in my life today?
- Am I trusting God’s timing?
- How has God brought life out of difficult seasons before?
- What hope does the resurrection give me today?
- Who needs encouragement from me this week?
