"Brief Devotions For Busy Lives" by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson: Psalm 33:20-22

 April 15

"Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield. Yea, our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let thy steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in thee." -Psalm 33:20-22 (RSV)

Sometimes the most difficult thing we can do is to wait. Successful waiting requires trusting in the Lord and looking to God for help. It is especially hard to wait when we witness horrible events around us and wonder whether God will ever bring justice to our world. After Jesus died on the cross just before sundown on Friday, the people around him acted and then waited in the silence of Saturday. Since it was against Jewish law on the Sabbath to work, travel, or let dead bodies stay exposed, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for Jesus' body placing it in his own new tomb in a cave carved in a hillside. Joseph applied myrrh and aloes and wrapped the body in linen. He placed it inside and rolled a huge stone in the entrance keeping others out. Joseph was a member of the Jewish Parliament, yet he was a secret disciple of Jesus risking his life and reputation giving a proper burial to Jesus. Then he waited.

Mary Magdalene and the women could do little. Females were forbidden to speak in male courts for Jesus' defense. They couldn't appeal to Pilate or remove guards, but they did all possible. They stayed at the cross as most male disciples fled. They followed Jesus' body to his tomb and prepared burial spices. Then they waited in grief. The religious leaders also waited after asking Pilate to station Roman guards and seal the stone at the tomb ensuring Jesus' body was safe so no one could claim he had risen from the dead. Everyone waited but because the women did all they could, God blessed their loving devotion. They were the first to witness the Resurrection. We too are called to do all we can for Christ, and then wait for God to act instead of worrying about the future or what we cannot do. Both the women and the writer of Psalm 33 knew that the secret of successful waiting is trusting, loving, and hoping in God.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to wait successfully. Amen.

Meditation For The Day: God's call requires our all.

Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Spring Renewal Paperback – February 21, 2017, by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson (Author)