She Knew His Voice

"And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were afraid. But he said to them, 'Do not be afraid, You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples - and Peter - that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.'"
(Mark 16:5-7)

Praise God! We serve a risen Savior!

When I think of this scene, I especially exchange hearts with Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene had been forgiven of so much. Her life had been completely transformed by the love of Jesus. She watched Him die a cruel death. She wept as Joseph of Arimathea laid His linen-wrapped body in the tomb and slowly, with great difficulty I suppose, sealed the darkness of the grave with a giant stone.

It was the Sabbath, so Mary had no choice but to wait to anoint her Lord with the spices of death.

Waiting. And wondering.
Wondering. And waiting.

Her Lord was dead. How could it be?

I'm sure grief overwhelmed her. Do you suppose there was some part of her that would not give up, would not succomb to the obvious, but, instead, would hold onto the faith in a risen Lord? But how could she even imagine such a thing? Why, it was beyond comprehension.

So many emotions. Such a conflict of faith.

I can relate. I have a very strong faith, a very intimate relationship with Jesus that has been forged in the refiner's fire many times and yet, the unexpected happens and I have to make a choice to hang on to what I believe to be true. I have to choose to believe in my risen Savior.

Even when everything around me screams, "NO!"

Just like Mary Magdelene.

I hang on with bulldog faith. I grit my teeth and take my stance and let the enemy of my soul know that I KNOW the One in Whom I have believed.

In her grief-stricken state, Mary saw Jesus, but she did not SEE Jesus. He appeared to her before all the others, but her tears blurred her heart knowledge and she did not recognize Him.

But then He spoke.
Jesus called her by name and she knew His voice.

Even when her world fell apart.
Even when Mary did not recognize the Lord in her midst.
Even then...she knew His voice.

Even then.

We give You praise, Lord. How do we thank You for the resurrection of our Savior? How do we express our love and gratitude for what He has done for us? Search our hearts, Lord and find there a warm awakening of the Holy Spirit uniting us to You, teaching us, guiding us, comforting us and revealing Who You are to us. Thank You for Jesus. I pray we never take His death and resurrection for granted. Bless Your Holy Name, Lord!