The Tomb Is Empty--He Lives!

John 20:11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that He had said these things to her.

John 14:18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 "After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20 "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.

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My Father, my God, my Lord, my Savior with the nail prints in Your hands,

     Thank-You for having created me; thank-You for redeeming me with Your own blood, Lord. You know that there is nothing worthy in me, of myself. But I stand witness this day, Lord, here, at this most humble of all kitchen tables, in this humiliated heart, Lord; and I thank-You and bear witness to You and to all Your angels, that yes, indeed, by Your own volition and good grace, You have spoken communicative words into the hearing of my heart, -- completely, totally unassisted, unaided, and unbeckoned by myself; surprising me.

     These words have admonished and corrected me, loved me, and reassured me, helping me to believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God, fully man, born of Mary, crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, lifted into heaven, at the Father's right hand, King of the Ages, King of Glory; a humble carpenter's son, who revealed Himself by angels to shepherds and a young maiden stooped above a manger.

     Thank-You, my Lord, for not despising the little ones. May You live forever in my heart, and may I, Lord, one day see You face to face? Thank-You, Lord, for loving me.

     Help me to obey You completely, fully, one hundred percent.

     Lord, You can come speak in my heart whenever You want. I won't call You a heretic for doing so.

     Now, Lord, by Your Spirit, help me to read and understand Your Word, Your good Bible.

In Jesus,
Christina,
Amen.


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Psalm 77--A Prayer for Personal Revival

Psalm 77:1 For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm. I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.
3 I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. Selah
4 You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.
5 I thought about the former days, the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired:
7 "Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again?
8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?" Selah

Have you as a seasoned Christian ever awakened one morning and realized you were far from God? Or, perhaps in the evening or late afternoon, have you ever paused and said to yourself, "When is the last time I have really, really prayed to God conversationally and spent an intimate, extended time of fellowship with Him?"

Even the best of Christians pass through seasons of winter and times when they stray from the close warmth of God. Hear David, a man after God's own heart, in the closing verse of Psalm 119--

Psalm 119:176   I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands. 

The Psalmist in Psalm 77 has found himself in a condition of not being as close to God as he would like, not as close as he once was. He feels the chill very deeply, and he is distressed. Perhaps his having strayed and wandered from the narrow path of obedience to God's Word and intimate fellowship with Him has caused problems in certain other areas of his life.

But notice how earnestly and passionately he cries out for help in Verses 1-6 above. He is just like a lost sheep, who, lifting his head from munching on a bite of grass, discovers that he is alone, separated from the flock, separated from his Good Shepherd. There is a smell of danger and death in the air. Perhaps the wolf is lurking not far away.

What does the sheep do? He bleats with all his strength and might. Everything else vanishes from his consciousness. Everything else pales in significance next to his completely overwhelming need to get back under the rod of his Shepherd.

That is what this Psalmist is doing. He is crying out to God with all his might, just like a lost sheep. He will not rest or sleep again until he hears in his heart the soothing, calming voice of his Good Shepherd.

Will the Shepherd come? Yes, my friends, He will.

 John 7:17 "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority." 

Jesus applied this saying to Himself, but we can apply it to all our pastors and teachers as well. The key to personal revival is first to have an absolute commitment to obey the Word of the Lord, to follow where He leads. Then you will hear His voice leading and guiding you where He wants you to go.

 John 21:18 "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."

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I pray, Lord Jesus, that this "other" will be You. You promise in Revelation 3:20 that you are standing outside my door, waiting for me to open. I pray Lord, that through my obedience to Your Word, You will come into my heart and fellowship with me, just like You used to do when we first met. I love You, Lord. I pray that You will stir my love and restore to me the intimacy I once had with You. I know that this is also Your will for me. Help me, Lord, to hear and readily obey Your Word for my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.


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