Three Promises to Remember During Uncertain Times
This spring, I celebrated Easter at home with my family as many around the world did during COVID-19. My wife, youngest son, mother-in-law, and I gathered in the living room. We took turns reading the account of Jesus’ resurrection, shared communion, and prayed for each other.
The next morning, the brief words spoken by the angel to the women at the tomb jogged me out of a groggy sleep:
“…tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there” (Mt. 28:7).
There are three promises here worth digging into. Each one inspires hope and carries profound implications. Let's take a brief look.
#1: He Has Risen
The resurrection is not only a historical event to believe. It is a person to cling to every day. After Martha’s brother, Lazarus, died, Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
Consider the staggering, yet “boots-on-the-ground” implications for every follower of Jesus:
- This resurrected Christ has all authority over heaven and earth (Mt. 28:18).
- He is supreme over everything, and through him, the very universe is held together (Col. 1:17).
- No matter what you’re facing, you are spiritually united to him (Jn. 14:20; Jn. 15:5; Col. 3:3).
- Through his indwelling Spirit, Jesus lives in you and has promised to be with you always (Jn. 17:21; 1 Jn. 4:13; Heb. 13:5).
- You have become a participant, a stockholder, in his indestructible life and divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4).
- He is your anchor and engine (Heb. 6:19; Phil. 4:13).
- Jesus’ fullness—his mercy, hope, joy, wisdom, peace, comfort, strength, patience, and endurance—are available to you 24/7 (Col. 2:9-10).
- Jesus’ resurrection guarantees yours (Jn. 11:25-26).
#2: Jesus Is Going Ahead of You
COVID-19 has disrupted everything. It has brought sickness, death, isolation, and economic uncertainty. Yet, the resurrected Christ has gone ahead of this pandemic. He will see you through. He is out ahead of this thing praying and interceding for you (Heb. 7:25).
Our trust is not in an earthly government, but in a Man described as “the radiance of God’s glory” (Heb. 1:3).
Jesus holds the title deed to the planet (Rev. 5:7). He is working all things out (including coronavirus) for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purposes (Rom. 8:28).
In C.S. Lewis’ children’s book, The Last Battle, Tirian, the king of Narnia and his followers are hiding in an enemy encampment, spying on a stable. The bad guys have called down “Tash,” an evil, threatening presence. Before the battle, we read:
Tirian bent his head to hear something that Jill was trying to whisper in his ear. “What do you think is really inside the stable?” she said. “Who knows?” said Tirian. “You don’t think,” said Jill, “it might be … you know … that horrid thing we saw?” “Tash himself?” “There’s no knowing. But courage, child: we are all between the paws of the true Aslan.”
No matter how uncertain, threatening, or evil the future looks, consider the “paws of the true Aslan.”
They are nail-pierced.
Isaiah 49:15-16 is a promise that God cannot forget or neglect those who trust him. It also describes his hands. “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”
The Roman spikes which fastened Jesus’ hands to the cross became God’s pen to inscribe your name onto his palms. He can never forget you!
What’s more, Jesus was able to endure the cross because he trusted that the Father was going ahead of him and had a magnificent plan. Future joy in God’s purposes strengthened Jesus’ resolve (Heb. 12:2).
In the same way, Christ himself has gone ahead of you. Trusting in his sovereign goodness and wisdom—resting between his “paws”—will protect you from fear and embolden courage.
#3: You Will See Him
Finally, remind yourself that one day, you will see the resurrected Jesus in all of his glory and majesty (Col. 3:4; 1 Pet. 1:13; 2 Thess. 1:7-8).
In fact, this was the very prayer Jesus prayed the night before he was crucified. “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world” (Jn. 17:24).
Titus 2:12-13 states, “We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.”
To be sure, life is hard. Unexpected setbacks and loss can cloud our perspectives. Over the years, I have asked God to put the return of Christ on my heart—like a GPS or compass—so when I encounter challenges, it will point true north, helping me steer away from doubt, cynicism, and fear.
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King, there’s a brief, seemingly insignificant passage that has captured my imagination.
Frodo and Sam are nearing the end of their quest as they make their way through the darkness and gloom of Mordor. Their journey has been marked by great risk and overwhelming hardship. The foreboding dread of the Gorgoroth plain stretches before them tempting them to despair. They must find a way to cross it without the enemy seeing them.
As night falls, Frodo falls asleep. Sam crawls out from their hiding place and glances up at the night sky. To his surprise, he sees a star:
There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor [peak] high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end, the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach … Now, for a moment, his own fate, and even his master’s ceased to trouble him. He crawled back into the brambles and … putting away all fear he cast himself into a deep untroubled sleep.
Like Sam’s star, the breathtaking promises of seeing Christ in his “light and high beauty” inspire hope. They remind us that evil will not last forever. In your journey, use God’s Word to catch glimpses of the return of the King. They will keep fear at bay and create rest within your soul.
As we move farther away into an unchartered year (and decade), may God help us remember his three promises:
Christ is risen!
He is going ahead of you!
You will see Him!
Illustration by John Weisman / Source images: Alissa Eckert / Wikipedia / Claudia Wolff / Unsplash
