Waiting on the Lord

And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Luke 23:56

What do you do when your world comes crashing down and God's purposes seem hidden? I don't think it would be hyperbole to say that this is probably what these women (ver. 55; 24:10) were feeling at this time. Jesus, on whom their hopes had been pinned as the one who was to bring God's kingdom to earth, was dead! His enemies appeared to be victorious. Not only that, but the other disciples were hidden, barricaded behind closed doors from fear of their countrymen (cf. Jn 20:19). Nothing made sense.

So what do you do? You do what Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome did: you do the next thing and you do what is clear in God's word as you see it. Since it was the Sabbath, the next thing for these women was to rest "according to the commandment." And that's what they did.

And not only that, but they did so without giving up their hope in the Lord, as shown in their resolve to anoint the body of Jesus with the spices and ointments they had prepared. This obedience and this hope would be doubly rewarded on the following day. If they had not kept the Sabbath and had tried to anoint the body of Jesus on Saturday or if they had given up on the Lord, they would have missed being the first ones to meet the risen Christ.

There is a lesson here for us as well. Most of us know at least to some extent what it means to be confused by the circumstances of life and to wonder if God's word is in fact true. But if we will follow the example of these women of faith, and just do the next thing that we know we're supposed to do and keep trusting in the Lord no matter what, the Lord will surely meet you and crown your faith in him in ways that you might have missed had you given up.

Keep on keeping on! For the tomb must release the Savior. Those who wait on him will not be ashamed.