Scripture
Luke 23:49
“But those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.”
Meditation
It’s Not Over.
I can only imagine that the Calvary experience was a traumatic event for all who followed Jesus, especially for those who knew Him personally and intimately. And, to then watch Him be crucified. The crowd witnessed first-hand the humiliation, violence, and the total disregard for His life and earthly ministry mission. I further imagine, as the crowd stood off in the distance watching the horrible event of cruelty, no doubt their hearts were broken in a million pieces. I am sure they were in disbelief that Jesus was no longer with them. They probably wondered in their minds, “what just happened!” They may have even wondered, “what they could have done different to change the outcome of this horrific event.” The hopes, dreams, anticipations, expectations, and the desires of those followers of Jesus are now gone. No doubt, many among the crowd that had followed Jesus and knew Him personally had assumed that their lives would have been different. Their lives had now been “snatched” from them by the death of Jesus. You may have been in a similar place where you were left wondering “what will become of you, now,” as you stood in the distance watching life change before you, and too paralyzed to do anything about your new change of life. In Jesus’ case, the crowd is left trying to figure out how they will survive without Him. You and I have had experiences in life where we were left trying to figure out how we were going to make it when our lives were interrupted by circumstances and situations that altered our well-thought-out plans. Like Jesus, we must be confident that God has not left us without His word. His word of promise, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). He will be with us, to help us pick up the broken pieces of our lives so we can be restored by our hope in God. We must remember that the “clouds of gloom and doom,” may appear to hang low, but it’s not over! When life seems difficult, and you find it difficult to navigate your way through, I encourage you to hold tight to the promises of God. Bring to the forefront of your mind the word God has promised you. He has promised to heal your broken heart, to restore you, to turn your morning to joy! Find hope in the resurrection of Jesus. His resurrection is symbolized of the fact that He emerges from death with “all power” in His hands, and because of His power, He has given us “power” to overcome every form of defeat in our lives. We are no longer “victims” of our circumstances and our situations, but rather we are “victory.” Romans, chapter 8 records ‘you and I’ are, “children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Romans 8: 16,17). Therefore, we have the “power” to overcome every forced that is designed to pull us down, and to keep us down. Today, you have victory so walk in your divine victory, and give God your best praise.
Prayer
Father God, life has not been easy, we have been through so many difficult things. The life that we thought we would have is gone, we don’t know what the future holds for us. We ask that you restore our hopes, renew our purpose, allow us to learn from our pain so that we may help others and glorify your Name. Amen.
Call To Action
Seek God in prayer and meditation asking God to reveal His plan for your life. Seek out support from others who may have been through similar situations, counseling, support groups or life coach. Stay focus on your goals, taking small steps toward what you believe God is calling you to as you move forward in life.
Submitted by: Min. Veronica L Johnson