It's Friday but Sunday's Coming
The weight of the world on His shoulders. All the pain, the suffering, carrying all of our sins, the burden of all my sins, heavily weighted, hanging on a cross. Beaten. Bruised.
Forsaken by His Father.
He dies.
The pain is still here. People are still suffering and hurting, dying. It is dark. The sun literally refuses to shine.
What now? Where is our hope now? He's gone, buried in a borrowed tomb, a rock seals the deal.
Fear, uncertainty, maybe desperation. What do we do now? We do not understand what's next. We cannot see past this minute. We put our faith in Him, and He's gone.
A day passes. Then another.
He's gone. That's right...He is gone. He's not where they left Him. Where did He go? He's not in the tomb. They said, "He has risen!" But where is He? Why can't we see Him?
And then...He appears. He tells us to have peace. We fall at His feet. He has kept His promise. We understand that now. We suddenly have hope, overwhelming joy. He's done as He promised. He has not left us here. He is here.
We live in a sinful world, the effects of our sins cover us all over. We still hurt, have pain. But now we have something new. Hope. An everlasting hope. He has not left us to suffer alone. He is with us. He has overcome the world and overcome death. The joy, the hope, the peace we have in Him is greater than what the world tries to tie us down with. We cannot defeat this world, but we do not have to~Jesus already has.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NIV, italics mine