The Resurrected Marriage — Our Bible App

Day 1 of 5: Jesus’s Resurrection Offers Hope

Matthew 28:1-6 (ESV)

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

“Mary, it’s time to go to the tomb.”

Mary Magdalene was softly nudged awake by Jesus’ mother. She opened her eyes and looked at the gentle, beautiful face of the mother of her Lord. All at once, the grief came back to her like a rock in the pit of her stomach. Her Lord had been dead three days, the one whom she thought would rescue her people had been killed. Had he abandoned them? The sun would soon come up, bringing light on the world and mocking the deep darkness she felt overshadowing her. Nothing was the same anymore.

Have you ever felt like that in your marriage? Like your world has just been turned upside down? Like what you thought would always be stable and secure turned out to feel false and shaky? Or maybe for you it was more of a gradual disappointment, a constant chipping away at your union until it felt like there was nothing left to chip anymore?

That’s how the women who were tending Jesus’ body felt too. They had expected a savior to overturn the Roman Empire and free the Jewish people but the one in whom they put their trust failed, or at least it seemed so. It seemed like the story was over.

The feelings we have after experiencing great difficulties in marriage can be so overwhelming that it seems like there is no hope. But just like the women who were about to head to Jesus’ tomb found out, there is Hope. It was not the end of the story at all. It was actually the beginning.

Jesus’ death and resurrection paved the way for Hope. Hope in Him for salvation and eternity with God in Heaven, of course. But also hope in Him for the resurrection and redemption of what seems dead in this life, including our marriages.

Yes, the night is often the darkest before the dawn. And we can look to Christ in the darkness we experience; He will shine with the light of the truth that He can resurrect the dead and bring the dawn to your marriage.

Spend some time in prayer reflecting on the hope you have in Christ and His ability to resurrect your marriage.

Ashley Or

Day 1 of 5: Jesus’s Resurrection Offers Hope

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