Resurrection Power in our Daily Lives
By Meg Bucher
“Jesus told her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’
‘Yes,’ Martha said, ‘he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.’
Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.’” John 11:23-25 NLT
The power we have in Christ Jesus is incredible. But what does ‘in Christ’ mean? We speak of resurrection power and living our lives ‘in Christ’ because salvation unites us with Him. Salvation is surrendering our lives into His hands. “Being ‘in Christ Jesus’ is a stupendous reality,” John Piper wrote, “It is breathtaking to be united to Christ. Bound to Christ.”
Sometimes, we feel so alone that even if people are physically present, we’re convinced they can’t relate to our emotions. Christ is not only present but completely understands how we feel. It’s like that every day of our lives. The more intentional we are about our relationship with Him, the more our entire perspective shifts to an eternal one. This is life ‘in Christ.’
Martha was heartbroken, feeling abandoned by the one friend she knew had the power to heal her brother. According to her limited knowledge, it was too late. He had died. Jesus met her in her emotions and wept. We know how Martha’s story ends. Jesus raised her brother from the dead. The thought had not even crossed her mind. But Jesus, fully God and fully man, knew the impossible was possible for Him.
“Resurrection from the dead and eternal life can be found only in relationship to Jesus,” the ESV Global Study Bible explains, “Therefore, ‘believes in me’ implies personal trust in Christ. ‘In’ ordinarily means ‘into,’ giving the sense that genuine faith in Christ brings people ‘into’ Christ so that they become united with Christ.”
In our daily lives, we experience loneliness and suffering, but we are never alone. In Christ, we have the same friend Martha did. The same Jesus who wept with her, mourning the loss of his friend, is our friend, too. He doesn’t coddle us unsympathetically in our pain. He weeps with us. But resurrection power doesn’t let us stay there. Resurrection power moves in and through our lives like a tidal wave, wiping out hopelessness and replacing it with joy. Joy, which, after we have wept in a heap, allows us to sit up and feel His presence in us. The curves of our mouths turn upward, and in our grief, we get to embrace the resurrection power of Jesus. The joy and hope that helps us walk through the loneliness, grief, suffering, and hard days of our lives.
“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus promised. When we feel hijacked by unexpected circumstances or longstanding ones with no end in sight, it can feel like slowly dying. If we’re not careful each day, we will lose sight of the hope and joy we have in Jesus. “You will rise again,” He reminds us. Not just on this earth. Because, honestly, we have no idea what will happen tomorrow or if it’s even guaranteed. But this we do know: in Christ, we will rise again, with Him, for eternity. And on that day, the pain will be gone. The tears will run dry. Although, I’d like to think we’ll still be able to cry some happy tears in heaven. They are one of my favorite parts of life here on earth. When we come through situations, we look back and hear Him speaking, “You will rise again,” over our situation. But at the time, we need to keep reminding ourselves we will rise again. We will walk out of whatever it is, if not on earth, in heaven with Him. That is resurrection power.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Father, You are incredible. All-knowing and full of love for us, You sent Jesus to save us. Creator of our physical being, our thoughts, our emotions, and the rich world around us, You know us completely. Release resurrection power in our lives, God. When we need it most, and when we’re running blind and need to stop and remember You …remember who we are …Your children. We are so thankful we don’t have to walk through life alone. Thank You for the hope and joy we have in Jesus. The agony He endured was never in vain. In a single moment, He rescued all of us from our own agony as prisoners of sin. Bring the full strength of resurrection power to our lives, Father. Remind us, whatever it is we are going through, we’ve always got You. Jesus is always with us. We are never alone, and we will rise again. We love You, Father. Thank You.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Boonyachoat
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