“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:8-11).
Waiting.
That final Sabbath Day after the Son of God died on the cross was spent waiting.
The eleven disciples waited in fear for the Jewish leaders to arrest them. Undoubtedly, they also struggled with an ugly mix of bitter, shame-filled emotions. They had promised to die with their Teacher. But one of them betrayed him, one of them denied him publicly, and all of them abandoned him.
The women—Jesus’ mother, Mary Magdalene, and the mother of James and John—waited for the Sabbath to be over so they could anoint their Lord’s body with fragrant spices. That part of the burial process, that grief-filled good-bye, was something they hadn’t been able to do when Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross. There wasn’t time.
The Jewish leaders waited in anticipation for the disciples to try and rob the grave, to hoodwink the people into thinking that Jesus had been raised from the dead just like he claimed he would. That would undo all the hard, vengeful work they put into killing him, and that deception would be worse than his own—claiming to be the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
So many people were waiting and all for different reasons. Were there any who waited for the right one? Were there any who remembered Jesus’ words while he was still among them and waited for that third day with eager expectation?
Or had grief, fear, and vengeance blinded the friends, family, and enemies of Jesus?
How about today?
Grief, fear, anxiety, jealousy, greed, ambition—these and many other things threaten to steal our focus away from our Savior. We know the tomb is empty, even now. We know that our risen Savior reigns in heaven, even now.
But sometimes we forget.
And our waiting while we live here in this sin-darkened world is not what it should be. Yes, there is discomfort. Yes, there are troubles. Yes, there are crosses to carry. But we don’t wait aimlessly. We don’t grieve like the world grieves. We don’t fear what the world fears. And we have a love that drives out the darkness lurking in our hearts and points us to a better way to live—to reflect that amazing love—while we wait.
Therefore, our hearts are glad and our tongues rejoice as we sing the praises of our triumphant King. As we wait, we keep our eyes on the Lord and what he has done.
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
We wait in hope. Hope that is sure and certain. Because God did not abandon his faithful one to the grave. He did not let his Son’s body see decay. And because Jesus lives, we too shall live, even though we may die before Christ returns to fulfill his promise to make all things new. But even then, our bodies will rest secure. Because Christ lives.
God has made known to us the path of life—Jesus Christ, who is the Way and the Truth and the Life. God will fill us with joy in his presence, forever in heaven. All because of our risen, victorious Savior who has indeed taken away all of our sins—yours and mine.
Wait in hope, dear Christian. Good Friday is behind us, and the triumphant celebration of Easter Sunday is ahead, just waiting on the eastern horizon with morning’s first light. We know what we’ll find when we travel to the tomb early tomorrow morning. Neatly folded graveclothes in an otherwise empty tomb. A stone rolled away—not to let Jesus out, but to reveal that death itself could not hold him.
Because he lives, we too shall live.
Looking for a great devotional for you and your kids? At Home With the Psalms contains one hundred interactive family devotions that will equip your whole family for the joys and sorrows of life, building up praise and thanks in your hearts through God’s Word. 5-Minute Bible Studies: For Families is another great option for brief devotions on busy days!
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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