We all have things in our life that we thought would be part of us forever. We’ve had dreams that ended in despair, fires that were buried under disappointment and promises from God that we’ve given up on. Each of us have a tomb full of things we’ve let go of. We’ve accepted them as endings, but what if God isn’t finished with them yet? What if He is wanting to resurrect them? I’m sure the disciples must have felt that way when the guards took Jesus, beat Him and made Him carry His cross through Jerusalem. Their plans and hopes for the future were crucified right in front of them. Like us, they lived in the tension of what was and what was supposed to be.
Enter Joseph of Arimathea. Luke 23:50 says he was a good and honorable man. He had watched Jesus from afar and even had questions for Jesus because he didn’t understand everything. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” something awakened in him. When everyone else ran in fear, he stepped forward in boldness to ask for the body of Jesus. Joseph had already planned ahead for his own death one day. He had a tomb in a beautiful garden just outside of town. The place where he expected his story to conclude was surrendered to make room for Jesus. That tomb stands empty today as a testament that God has the power to bring dead things to life. It’s a reminder that with God all things are possible and nothing is ever final until He says it is.
Abraham is another example of someone who had to surrender his ideas of what the future held and trust God’s resurrection power. Romans 4:18 says, “Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it. He took God at his word, and as a result he became the father of many nations” (TPT). The heart of surrender lays down what looks hopeless and dead at the feet of Jesus. It takes God at His word and has the full expectation that God will fulfill that which He has promised. It’s time for us to give Him the things we’ve placed in our tomb. Surrendering is letting go and letting God have the final say. Resurrection is God’s work, and surrender is ours.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 