Easter is the ultimate demonstration of hope! On the heels of what looked like the worst defeat came the best victory. Jesus’ followers had bet everything on Him. They left their old lives behind to be all in with Him. Jesus had convinced them that following Him would place them on the right side of eternity, and they believed Him. Then He was captured, tortured, and crucified. When they woke up the morning after Jesus died, everything had changed. It seemed as though they had lost everything they hoped for. They didn’t realize that was not the end of the story!
Right now we are living in scary times as a deadly virus bulldozes through the world and creates upheaval in our daily lives. All the things we hold dear to us are being threatened. We’ve lost our jobs. We’ve lost our savings. We’ve lost our hobbies. Some of us have even lost people we love. Right now we’re living in the space between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, begging God to intervene and wondering what will happen next. But this is not the end of our story!
Sunday morning came for Jesus’ followers 2,000 years ago and the victory they celebrated then still belongs to us today. Jesus is still alive! God is still in control! He was in control at the cross. He was in control in the tomb. And He is in control today. Nothing happens without His knowledge, and whether He causes it or allows it, He uses it! What happens to us on earth is not the end of our story! Jesus is still alive! His promises are still true!
Who then will condemn us? No one – for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. – Romans 8:34 NLT
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, even though for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials. – 1 Peter 1:3-6 CSB
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT
