I don’t know how you pick the most sober moment from the most terrible day in the History of God. But, the following passage has often stopped me in my tracks.
Luke 23:55-56 (NLT) As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.
Only Mary, Martha’s sister, was able to anoint Jesus’ body for burial. No one else got the chance. There was a hard stop in place called the Sabbath. The Father instituted the Sabbath when He rested after creation. And, here He clearly planned that His Son would rest in a grave for the Sabbath.
And, that is what Saturday is for – Sabbath. Saturday is a hard stop. Stop and think. Stop and worship. Stop and meditate that Jesus, God the Son, inhabited a tomb.
Stop and think. We have heard many declare that Jesus accomplished this “all for you”. But, that is not true. Oh, yes, it was for you, but it was FIRST and FOREMOST for God the Father. It was the Father’s will He submitted to in the garden, not our desperate need.
Please make sure you snatch several moments of prayer from whatever today holds. If there is no time for prayer today, there should be no time for anything else.
We should take a moment today to be alone. We should reflect upon the day that God was not available. A day that should live in darkness. Because, that day ensured that we need never be separated from God again.
Pray Alone – because the last thing you could ever be now – is ALONE.
This is a sobering thought, a powerful reflection.
I have often thought about the disciples imagining how they felt when they followed their Lord for those 3 years and now HE was dead. They surely went into the extreme emotions of profound grief to ecstatic happiness on Sunday!…..as we do. I am so very thankful that Christ was willing to do this for us, even though HE didn’t want to go through it all. We don’t even really know what HE went through between dying and rising again, do we? HE knew, though.
❤️
Wonderful thing to contemplate!
Thank you Pastor Micheal for this sobering reminder. Friday and Saturday are difficult days, but we know what Sunday brings! HE IS RISEN
THANK YOU
Thank you for these words