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Day Three
There are many wonderful truths for us to sit with over the next 7 weeks, but in these days of chaos and turmoil there is one message of the empty tomb that resonates with me very deeply right now:
God’s love cannot be overcome and his purposes cannot be defeated.
The message of Easter morning is that not even death has the power to hold back the love of God. At the cross the enemies of God staged their best and most powerful assault on his purposes, and what looked like victory for them on Friday gave way to their ultimate defeat on Sunday morning. No wonder it is the death and resurrection of Jesus that sits at the heart of one of the Apostle Paul’s most powerful passages about God’s love, from Romans chapter 8:
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
‘For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”—Romans 8:31-37 (NIV)
If God is for us, who can be against us? Paul is writing to people who knew firsthand what it was to face persecution for their faith in Jesus, and yet he reminds them that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, they (and we, too) can be absolutely certain that the forces which stand against the love and purposes of God will never know victory—they are rendered impotent next to the power of the cross and the empty tomb. In the knowledge of that truth, Paul is able to make a declaration that has provided comfort for Christians through the centuries:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”—Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
How we need those words today! There are so many forces in the world right now that seem more determined than ever to unleash a plague of discouragement on God’s people. It is very tempting to think they have the upper hand, but Scripture is absolutely clear on this point: THEY DO NOT. It may look that way for a season, but the love of God is supreme and the purposes of God will triumph.
As we begin our journey of Eastertide, we need to acknowledge that there will be days when the empty tomb seems distant and the voices of defeat loom large. When we find ourselves in those days, let’s return to Paul’s words and the glorious truth they proclaim:
God’s love cannot be stopped.
Mover of mountains
Breaker of chains
Jesus has triumphed
Over the grave
Sing hallelujah
The battle is won
Nothing can stand
Against our God
Read the rest of the lyrics here
Questions for Reflection
1) Sit prayerfully with Paul’s words in Romans 8:38-39. Name and offer to God the things from your own life that seek to separate you from God’s love. Spend some time offering up gratitude that his love is victorious.
2) In what ways have you found God to be a “mover of mountains” and a “breaker of chains?” How has your testimony been shaped by God’s power in your life?
3) What have been helpful practices and disciplines for you when the power of the empty tomb seems distant? What would be helpful for you during this Eastertide journey as a reminder of its victory?
4) Spend some time contemplating this quote and the journey to which it invites us:
“If you want a wonderful experience, take your New Testament and use a concordance to look up the two little words, ‘but God.’ See how many times human resources have been brought to an utter end; despair has gripped the heart and pessimism and gloom has settled upon a people; and there is nothing that can be done. Then see how the Spirit of God writes in luminous letters, ‘but God,’ and the whole situation changes into victory.”—Ray C. Stedman
5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”—2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (NIV)