Beyond These Walls: Here We Go! Week 2 Devotional Day 6
DAY 6 – Saturday
Daily devotional
Read
Mark 4:23-24a with John 20:1-18 and Ephesians 1:17-20.
Ask
How has following Jesus made hidden things come to light in your life and walk with Him?
Reflect
I love John’s story of the empty tomb. I love John’s sense of humor and competitiveness, boasting that he outran Peter. I love rediscovering each time I read it that Jesus is alive. I love the very real bewilderment and confusion of the disciples as they try to understand what has happened. (Dare they hope!?) And I love that Jesus does not initially reveal Himself to Peter or to John, His closest friends, but to Mary Magdalene, a Jewish woman from whom seven demons had come out (Luke 8:2).
After Peter and John saw that the tomb was empty, they went back to their homes. But Mary lingered at the tomb. And because she lingered, she was blessed with deeper insight than the others. Her lamp was lit. Could it be that when we take the time to linger with Jesus we too could be blessed with clarity and insight that we may not otherwise receive?
The concept of lingering is difficult for us to grasp in this busy world that demands that we do more with less. There is often more to do in a day than we have time for. But is it possible that we do not receive answers to our quick prayers on the drive to work because we did not linger long enough in God’s Word to hear Him answer? If we made it our regular practice to linger, on our knees, at the feet of Jesus, what would He reveal? What would He heal? What would He resolve in our lives?
When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene at the tomb, He brought revelation, comfort and purpose to her life. She was blessed with a greater understanding of who Jesus is (which dried her tears right up!) as well as the privileged purpose of telling her friends that Jesus is alive!
I believe God reveals Himself to us in a deeper way when we take the time to linger in His Word. By lingering, sometimes we are able to know Him better, sometimes we receive answers to our deepest questions, sometimes we are healed from our greatest betrayals, and sometimes we get much needed insight into our own sinful hearts. If this intrigues you, do not miss out on Day 7.
Jesus, help me desire to spend more time with You, and then help me carve out the time to make it happen.