Easter

 Last year around Easter I was going through a really hard time. I had sunk into despair and unbelief, because the things I was trusting God for I could not see. And although we are meant to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7) sometimes as humans we walk more by sight than faith.

 In this time I went to church, and although I felt far from God He reminded me of Isa 53:3 (ESV) "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" And it was as if God said that He is not some far off God who does not understand my pain and my grief, instead He himself went through the greatest pain upon the cross. As Heb 4:15 (ESV) says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses"; this means that God understands pain; He understands sorrows and He understands our weakness because He too experienced this on the cross.

But not only does God understand our pain, He actually took our burdens upon Himself. T.A. Webb said that 'a burden shared is a burned halved'. But with Jesus not only do we have the privilege of sharing our burdens, we can give it to Him for Him to carry. Isa 53:4 (NKJV) "Surely He has borne our griefs. And carried our sorrows". Through Jesus there is healing, there is hope and we can give Him our burdens and our sorrows knowing He understands and that He carries them.

Another thing that amazes me is that at the cross when Jesus died all seemed without hope. I mean can you imagine following a leader for three years, thinking He will deliver you and then suddenly He is condemned to a cross, which meant he is cursed. But because Jesus rose again, the night of the cross is a symbol of hope for all Christians- it means our sins are forgiven- HALLELUJAH!!! This for me is such a strong reminder that God can do the same for us turn our hopeless situations around for His glory.

So this Easter I want to encourage us to come to Him, to give Him our burdens, whatever they may be- whether doubt, despair, sorrow, heart-ache or pain and know He has carried it. And when we do this He is able to transform our darkest night into the brightest day; just as He turned Good Friday into Easter morning.

May God bless you

May the LORD keep you in His loving hands

May He make His face shine upon you with Easter joy

And give you peace in knowing He understands