A Living Savior

RECENTLY OUR FAMILY was privileged to take the trip of a lifetime to Israel. It was my husband’s dream, and our kids made it a reality. The land of the Bible was everything we had imagined and was made even more memorable as we saw the biblical account woven into each stop along the way.

The days were packed with special moments I wanted to freeze, like sailing on the Sea of Galilee, praying at the Western Wall, and walking on the streets of Jerusalem. A special highlight for me was standing on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus will return some day. “In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, . . . and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle. . . . Then the LORD, my God, will come” (Zechariah 14:4-5).

While we toured, I was burdened to pray for the salvation of our sweet granddaughter Riley, who was almost nine. Her mom, our daughter Katie, shared that Riley had been wrestling with surrendering her life to Jesus, but my daughter was wise to wait on God’s timing and not pressure Riley into making a decision.

Although I prayed for Riley the morning of our last day in Israel, at our final stop I was focused solely on the tomb cut into a rock at the Garden Tomb. Like the others in our group, I was solemn and teary-eyed as I stepped into the cave where the body of Jesus may have been laid after He gave up His life on the cross. I pondered the great sacrifice God made for me when He sent His innocent Son to die in my place. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The instant I stepped out of the tomb, I heard Riley sobbing. She ran to my husband, crying, “Grandpa, I want to ask Jesus into my heart now!” When Riley saw the empty tomb, she comprehended for the first time that Jesus had died for her, but He did not stay dead. He is alive! Bob wisely found Riley’s mother so she could share the greatest of all experiences with her daughter—the moment she would admit her need as a sinner and ask Jesus to be her Savior. My oldest daughter, Christy, grabbed her phone and captured images of her sister, arms wrapped around Riley as they prayed together in front of the empty tomb. My granddaughter’s eternity was changed in that moment. She couldn’t stop smiling afterward. Her burden was gone, replaced with joy and peace.

Whether or not we explore the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid, we can know for certain that He is not dead. Luke 24 tells the story:

On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.”

The best news in all of history is that “He has risen”! Our Savior is alive, and He lives to make intercession for us. If Christ could conquer death, He has all power: power to save us, forgive our sins, meet every need, answer our prayers, rescue us, transform us into the people we long to be, give us purpose and the privilege to impact those in our sphere, and so much more.

After Paul, guilty of arresting and persecuting Christians, met the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus, he proclaimed, “As Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). New life is ours!

REFLECTION

Take time to thank the Lord as you meditate on His sacrifice. Then move forward in newness of life and the resurrection power that is yours because His tomb is empty.