Happy Easter!

“You take what the enemy meant for evil and you turn it for good.”

Recently I’ve been listening to a song by Elevation Worship called, “See a Victory.” I love this song because it’s a reminder that we can completely surrender ourselves and the battle that we may be fighting, and give it to God because He can do way more than we can. We know that our God will not fail. Just like the beginning of the song says, “Cause the God I serve knows only how to triumph.” We, as humans, fail every day. We fall short of the perfection that is needed to get into heaven: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. BUT we know that Jesus died on the cross for us, forgiving us of all our sins. So that if we would just believe in Him, we can get into Heaven and have eternal life (Romans 10). Easter is a time to celebrate the life that God raised from the dead. Just like He raised Jesus from the dead, He can raise us and give us eternal life.

In this song, there is a line that sticks out to me and it says this: “you take what the enemy meant for evil and you turn it for good.” When I hear that line I get goosebumps because I think of the times where I walked away from God and made the wrong decisions. I think about circumstances that happened to me that I carry deep hurt, fear, and anxiety from. I think about times in this world, when life feels like it’s dark. And lastly, I think about the day that Jesus died. Where it seemed like Satan had defeated God, sentencing Jesus to death when He had done no wrong. But we know how that story ends, we know that WE WILL SEE A VICTORY. However, during our battles, we may feel as though we don’t know how it will end. The truth is we may not see the end, but we can have faith in this: that it will end with a victory. We may not know God’s plan or why He is doing what He is doing, but we can put our faith in the fact that He is in control. And like the song says, He “knows only how to triumph.”

Before Jesus was put on the cross to die we see Him ask God to change his circumstances, but only if it is in His will. “He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.” Luke 22:41-43. In times when we are in our own battles with Satan, when we are struggling to forgive someone, or when we are in a circumstance where we can see no good, God may not take the circumstance away, but He will give us the strength we need. God didn’t save Jesus from the cross because He knew that in order for us to have life, Jesus had to die. But He did provide Jesus with the strength that He needed to carry out God’s will and He raised Him from the grave.

In Genesis chapter 50 verse 20 Joseph is talking to his brothers and tells them this, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Evil was intended, BUT GOD intended good. I look back on the times in my life when I had walked away from God and did life on my own. A time Satan had intended to use to destroy my faith in my God, to try to show me that I don’t need Him, and a time where He tried to isolate me by myself. BUT God used that time in my life and redeemed it. Even though I walked away from Him, He was still right there by me. He never left me. He had open arms and welcomed me back with unending love and grace. He taught me things during that time: He strengthened my faith, my relationship with Him was solidified, and I learned that I can live my best life with God. Satan had intended to end the hope and faith that people had in Jesus by killing Him. God used this for good by rescuing everyone from their sins. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” John 3:16.

I pray that in this Easter season you are reminded of how amazing it was that Jesus died so we could live. I pray that you realize with God nothing is impossible, but with him everything is possible. I pray that during this time, where it feels like the world is in a time of darkness, you take the time to be still. I pray that you look to see how God is working in this time and through this pandemic. I pray that today you celebrate the LIFE that was raised from the grave. That you celebrate that death was put to death because of God and that we can now have eternal life.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Happy Easter!