Focus

Take a few minutes to push the “pause” button on whatever is going on around you and be still with God.

Read

Matthew 12:38-42 (NRSV)

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!

Reflect

One of my favorite songs to sing during Holy Week is “Were You There?” While I understand the thought behind the hymn, I was not physically there. It is hard for me to imagine the pain and anguish that the disciples faced with the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. It is hard for me to imagine the defeat that they must have felt in that moment when their hope for life and for eternity was taken away.

Likewise, I was not there when Jonah was swallowed by a great fish. I was not there as he sat in the belly of that beast. I cannot begin to imagine the loneliness that Jonah felt as he wondered what the future would hold for him in that situation.

None of us were there to experience the feeling of defeat that the disciples experienced. None of us were there to experience the loneliness and frustration of Jonah. However, I am guessing that all of us know the pain and anguish of loss. All of us know the anguish of feeling defeated. I am guessing that at some point all of us have known the feeling of loneliness and perhaps the torment of not knowing what the next step in your life is going to be.

Thankfully, the same One who was greater than Jonah, is still here. Thankfully, the same One who was greater than Solomon is still here for us. No matter how lonely the situation, Christ is greater than our loneliness. No matter how low or defeated we feel, Christ is greater than our anguish. Take comfort in the fact that the risen Messiah is greater than any problem we face.

Pray

Ever-present God, we all face loneliness, heartache, and despair. We all face times when we wonder what is next for us. We thank you that in all of those moments you are there for us. We thank you that are always there to pick us up and hold us tight in our need. Please, help us to recognize that presence and lean on you. In the name of the Christ who is greater than all, Amen.

Go with God.