This Easter, let’s travel back to that first glorious morning more than 2,000 years ago. Mary, Mary, Salome, and their companions approached the tomb grief-stricken, anxious, and on edge. They had just witnessed the brutal execution of their leader. A week that began with a triumphant Palm Sunday entrance, ended with Jesus condemned by every powerful force in the land. Would they be next? What were they supposed to do now?

Here’s the thing: They didn’t have a completed Bible to know how this story is going to play out. They had only a promise, and apparently, they had forgotten it.

Imagine their shock when they found the stone already rolled away. Angels explained it clearly: He is not here. He has risen. And still, they didn’t believe. They assumed the body had been stolen. Peter and John rushed over, saw the burial wrappings, and were equally baffled. It wasn’t until Mary encountered Jesus outside the tomb that any of it started to click.

Honestly? My first reaction is disbelief at their disbelief. Jesus had performed miracle after miracle. He raised Lazarus. He explicitly said He would rise in three days. Why were they sad and scared instead of expectantly waiting, maybe even arguing about who would see Him first?

Stupid. Thick. Dim. Mistrustful.

ut before we get too comfortable on that high horse, we need to climb down. Because how often do we do the exact same thing? Every time we assume God is limited by our circumstances, restricted to our reality, or bound by our timeline, we’re doing what they did. We’re keeping Him in the tomb.

I have the completed Bible. I know how the story ends. And I underestimate Him daily.

So this Easter, don’t put God in a box. My life genuinely changed when I stopped treating God as manageable and realized He is unmanageable (for me) but totally trustworthy, bigger than my problems, and faithful to His promises. He is not dormant. He is not finished. I should let Him manage me, not me trying to futilely manage Him. He is actively at work in and around you right now. Expect it. Embrace it. Enjoy it.

And if you’re in the middle of a trial today, don’t lose heart. Remember, He didn’t rise immediately. He waited three days, on purpose, for a reason. His timing is always better than ours.

Wishing you a Happy Easter. May the power of the resurrection give you boldness and courage to face whatever lies ahead. Wear His victory visibly so that everyone around you sees your joy and His triumph over despair and death. Whether you let God be God, or keep Him locked in a tomb, is your decision.

Choose well.

RENEW YOUR MIND & REWIRE YOUR BRAIN

Where in your life right now are you treating God as though He’s still in the tomb, inactive, distant, or finished?

The disciples forgot the prophecy even after hearing it directly from Jesus. What promises of God do you find hardest to hold onto when life gets hard?

When God’s timing is different than your expected timing, what do you do? How do you react? Why are you slow to adopt His timing?

Just like Jesus’ disciples were paralyzed by fear until He showed Himself directly, what fears are paralyzing you right now?

If you lived life expecting God to show up and followed His direction, describe how your life would be different.

PRAYER

Father, thank You for Christ’s death and resurrection, for the power it gives us over sin’s grip and Satan’s schemes.

Give me a heart that loves You even a fraction of how You love me. Keep Your promises and character fresh in my mind so that I stop putting You in a box, especially when uncertainty closes in.

Grant the readers eyes that truly see and faith to accept Your awesome plans for them. In Christ’s powerful name, and all God’s children say, AMEN.

I encourage you to listen to “In Christ Alone” during this prayer time. This is one of my personal favorite songs.

THE TRUTH

“For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” — Matthew 12:40

“The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. — Mark 9:31

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” — John 2:19