Resurrection Reality--Faith's Validity

Sorrow shattered her soul till she felt she would implode,

profound pain, nauseating hollowness to her bones.

Irreplaceable loss, inconceivable senselessness.

Constricting confusion clutched her throat, smothering senses.

She tried to stop crying, to comprehend His dying.

Why would they want to kill Him?  Why would His Father let them?

How could He bear the brutalization, degradation?

And where was God now?  Must muddle thru' nightmare somehow.

Disillusionment mocked their dream of Deliverer;

molasses depression mucked dragging steps of despair.

We had trusted Him to be promised Messiah, The One

Who would rescue Israel--us--from our cruel oppression!

Downcast doubts drummed thoughts, drove talk.  "Should have known better than

to believe, too good to be true; but he wasn't your

ordinary man, miracle worker, teacher prophet...

Each word, expression, his very essence warmed one's spirit..."

Then He appeared to her, to them, Resurrected LORD! 

Tho' they did not recognize Him, He did not chide them.

As only He could, He gently spoke her name,  "Mary!"

She knew she'd never be the same; she, too, would live again.

He explained the truth of Scripture to those two who thought

they knew it well.  When He blessed the bread and disappeared,
they said, "Did not our hearts burn within us as He spoke to us?"

Dying coals of faith blazed with fire and hope was reborn.

Eclipse in afternoon, many sightings, empty tomb

Disciples hiding, later dying for Risen Lord.

They had seen Him touched Him, knew His power to be true

Nor have we believed in vain; Jesus is coming again!

"Had trusted."    Ever feel like you've tried to trust with all the faith you could muster, that you prayed, believed, confessed, only to have been disappointed, perhaps disillusioned, a little angry and bitter, or maybe just confused?  Hey, even John the Baptist wasn't so positive about trusting when he was in prison about to get his head cut off!  He, who had boldly proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!" sent word, asking, "Are you He Who was to come, or should we look for another?"

Jesus replied, "The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the Gospel preached to them...and blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  The answer must have reassured John, whom Jesus did not condemn but rather hailed as the greatest prophet of all time.

There are many reasons prayers are not answered the way we expect--unbelief, asking "amiss" for selfish motive, unforgiveness, not discerning why Jesus died or His gift thru' other members of His body of believers, wrong timing for what He's wanting to simultaneously work in and through others, a higher purpose than our immediate request.  But sometimes, nothing seems to make sense.  It didn't to the disciples, even though Jesus tried to prepare them.  They couldn't understand that He would rise again, only that He was dead.

Just know that He IS The Resurrection!  Any impartial true seeker can validate that He arose.  If so,  His promises are true!  We don't have all the facts about everything or perfect understanding, but He is Totally Trustworthy!  He loves you so tenderly, so unfathomably,  knows you to the depths of your being, all the spots in your soul you could not share with another.   He offers forgiveness and wholeness.  He has all power and ultimate control.  This is the temporary world, not the real one!   But even now, He is working for you, not against you.  Believe it!