“But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” (Mark 14:18 NIV)
Jesus made many promises to His disciples. He made predictions about the future and He was true to His many pledges about His resurrection. Did His disciples remember those promises in the flood of feelings that accompanied His arrest, trial and crucifixion? The text doesn’t read like they recalled any of it. The disciples seemed to be blindsided by the entire ordeal. Belief is silent on Black Saturday. Every interaction with the risen Savior seems to be received with genuine shock.
Trauma makes a mess of our memory. This is why it is so critical to commit scripture to our souls; to carve it into the framework of our existence. We talked about this in bible study last night; how knowing truth helps us fight off the lies of the enemy.
The disciples walked through three full days of deceit: during which so much of their hope and believe about Jesus was drown out by the sheer volume of hate. It feels like we are living in similar times, doesn’t it? Hate is far louder than love these days, but we needn’t be as ill-prepared as the disciples. We have two advantages that they did not: the written Word is widely available and the Holy Spirit is our advocate.
“But very truly, I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go I will send Him to you… When the Spirit of truth comes He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own, He will only speak what He hears and He will tell you what is to come.” (John 16:7,13 NIV)
We study scriptures, we memorize truth and hide it in our hearts. When trouble comes – not if, but when – we rely on the Holy Spirit to bring God’s word back to mind. He only speaks what He hears and what He hears is the Father’s loving will for His people.
Lord, we are so grateful for Your Word and Your Spirit. We’d be lost without these wondrous and powerful connections to You. Your word is steadfast and Your Spirit is personal: You have set us up for victory! We will do our part: revering Your scripture and submitting to the leading of Your Holy Spirit. We trust that all of Your promises will come to fruition. Amen.