A Comforting Voice

A Comforting Voice

Mary Magdalene

Read: John 20:11-18

As Macy stared at the wall opposite her, she felt as if a crushing weight bore down on her. A rush of adrenaline had carried her through the phone call about her parents’ accident and the long airplane flight. Now, with both of them in intensive care, a deep sense of grief gradually replaced the numbness. The doctor hadn’t offered much encouragement. Fumbling in her purse for tissues, Macy realized that she had never felt so alone and dejected. Suddenly, she heard a voice calling her name. Turning toward the door of the waiting room, her eyes fell on Zoe, her best friend.

Mary Magdalene was also weighed down by sorrow when she went to Jesus’ tomb. Confusion and anxiety added to her grief as she discovered that someone had stolen his body. After reporting the news to two disciples, Mary stood alone outside the tomb, crying. The nightmare of the past two days washed over her anew as she realized that she would be denied the privilege of helping to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. Asking the man she thought was the gardener for information, she was startled when a familiar voice called her name: “Mary!”

When trouble suddenly interrupts our lives, grief and confusion can overwhelm us to the point that we feel crushed by the weight of our situation. Since God loves us more than anyone else, he can comfort us like no one else. Sometimes he consoles us through other people. Sometimes his Spirit breathes words of reassurance or makes his presence known. Often, he comforts us through his written Word. Sorrow in life is a given, but we have the choice of accepting the comfort that God offers. In any difficult situation, if we pay attention, we will hear a familiar voice calling our name. It’s the voice of our Best Friend and Master.

The LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

Isaiah 49:13 (NIV)