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Mary did not recognize Jesus until He says her name, “Mary!” He says her name. I hear such love and tenderness when Jesus says her name.
“Mary!” And then her eyes are opened to recognize her beloved Jesus. And she clings to Him. I also cling to Him. Me… the lowliest prodigal… delivered from demons… brought back to life from the dead. I cling to Him. AND HE SAYS MY NAME!

Jesus was completely in control of how and when He died. Even as His physical body was being broken and tortured, as His life ebbed away, Jesus was totally lucid, completely in control. He knew the exact moment when His sufferings had been enough “that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled.” (v.28) He knew when His torment had been sufficient to heal us by His stripes, to save us through His sacrifice. And He said, “‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

It is so painful to read of Jesus being beaten, tortured, and crucified. But we must remember that Jesus allowed these horrors to happen to Him of His own free will. At any moment, He could have removed himself from his torturer’s evil clutches in any millions of ways. He could have instantly struck them all dead. But He did not. He willingly endured their abuse and presented His own body to be sacrificed for you and me.

This is one of the gifts that the Holy Spirit offers us… deep profound joy that is not dependent upon our outward circumstances… joy that can sustain us through the most difficult times of life.It is up to use to access that peace and joy by diving into our relationship with Jesus. Sometimes we must wrestle with our own imperfect human emotions and wills first to get to that peace and joy. But it IS there for the taking, promised and ready for us when we seek it.

There is no one size fits all way to follow Jesus. Life is complicated but God is intimately personal. He has an individual customized plan for each of us. Sometimes we need to be quiet and avoid conflict. Other times we should boldly publicly confront wickedness. And other times we should offer ourselves to be abused by the enemy.

I am so happy that John gave us a glimpse into Jesus’ prayer life in John 17. Jesus said that He was not only praying for His disciples, but “also for those who believe in me through their word.” (v.21) That is US!! So when Jesus prayed about those “You gave Me out of the world,” He was talking about you and me. WE are the ones who have received His words and “truly understood that [He] came forth from [God].” We are the ones who believe the disciples’ witness that Jesus was sent by God. (v.8) In John 17, Jesus was praying for US!

The Israelites had been so terrified of Goliath. But all it took was a young shepherd boy and a stone. All of Goliath’s ferocious threats turned out to be nothing at all. Remember that next time you feel afraid and overwhelmed by something (including a virus…). God is in the giant slaying business!

Jesus is our sustenance and life, the food for our souls. We remain in Him by spending time with Him in prayer, meditation and Scripture. Church is helpful and awesome but just going to church won’t get you there. Sitting and listening to someone for 30 minutes once a week is not relationship. It is not “remaining” in Jesus. Relationship requires your TIME, your HEART, your MIND, and your SOUL…

My message was the verse on the back of the card:

“Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1-3

And then the very next day, guess what verse showed up in my scheduled Bible reading for that day??? I just LOVE it when God does things like that!!

Thank You, Jesus, for that comforting message right now as our lives are in upheaval. Jesus has a plan for us. We don’t know what it is but He does. We don’t need to be anxious or troubled. He’s got this. We only need to trust Him…

I am bold about my faith in God because of what He has done for my soul. I was physically dead but He brought me back to life. I was suicidally depressed, addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol, and He miraculously healed me from all of those. I was a selfish stupid person chasing after meaningless vanities. He gave my life meaning and filled my heart with love and joy. I cried out to Him from the deep dark pit I had dug for myself and He rescued me. I praise Him because He has given me a new soul. I praise Him because “He has given attention to the sound of my prayer. Blessed be God who has not turned away my prayer nor His favor from me.” (v.19-20)