This Resurrection Sunday Jesus will once again rock history in the middle of emptiness. Church pews will be empty and many may ask: “What good can come from an ‘Empty Easter?'” Those who went to the tomb on Resurrection morning could identify.
When Mary Magdalene, Peter and John saw that Jesus’ body was gone, they faced an “Empty Easter.” (John 20). What had happened to their Lord? Who had taken Him? How could they get Him back? Uncertainty engulfed their existence.
Uncertainty can mar our minds and sear our souls when we can’t see the outcome. When will this end? How will this end? Will life ever be normal again?
I am a huge fan of Hallmark movies. I love the way they make me feel and, even more, I love that I know how they are usually going to end. Love conquers all, there is a lot of clapping and cheering, and everyone smiles as they walk to their perfectly-decorated homes. I’d like to live in that kind of certainty, wouldn’t you? But this is not a Hallmark movie we’re living. It’s real life.
What can we do when life empties us of hope, shatters our dreams, drains our bank account, threatens our health and leaves us wondering “What now?” The answer echoes from an empty tomb.
A friend of mine wrote a great lyric years ago that bears repeating: “When you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.” Living in these unknown times gives us the opportunity to see the power of the empty tomb up close and personal. Easter is our forever reminder that Jesus rose from that grave with certainty of the victory over hell, death and anything else we would ever face. Jesus became eternal certainty in our uncertainty. And He promised to never leave us alone.
In my book, “Grace and Guts,” I share seven things to do when you feel uncertainty rearing its ugly head in your life:
- Take One Step at a Time. Take care of the things that you DO have control over.
- Get Organized. Make a daily plan and follow it to keep what you DO have control over moving in an organized and purposeful direction.
- Avoid looking too far into the future. “What if’s” can be overwhelming and usually never happen.
- Refuse the lies. It will not “always be this way” because we serve a God who is always moving in our lives.
- Remember His faithfulness in times past. Focus on the times that God has come through for you.
- Enter into Worship. You can’t truly worry and worship at the same time.
- Surrender. EMPTY yourself of yourself. Tell Him you don’t know what to do so that He can show you that He does know what to do.
This Easter, fill yourself with the “emptiness” of Easter. The empty tomb is your certainty for eternity when you put your faith in Him.