~ "He IS alive..."

While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. (Luke 24: 51-52)

Imagine the emotional roller coaster these men were on. First, they see their Lord arrested. Then they see him crucified. Three days after that, he returns to them - ALIVE! He stays with them for a short time and then he ascends to heaven right in front of them! Their emotions went from fear to grief, to shock, to joy and finally to praise!

Aren't we like that at times? We pray out of fear and grief and pain. We praise out of joy! Sometimes the words we utter don't fully express what our hearts are feeling. We wear that facade so well at times that we even fool ourselves. But God knows what is in our hearts, in our minds and meets our needs every day. He teaches us patience and holds us tenderly in his arms in the process.

Jesus Christ is alive! He's a living testament to the glory that is God's! That miracle alone reminds us that he can do all things! We go to him in prayer and he hears our words! Miracles happen everyday. We forget sometimes that the smallest utterance is often the one he hears first - the simplest of prayers (as in my book when I said "God, please help me"). The earnestness of our request at that time, the fear in our hearts - the ones that have a true petition for mercy and grace - are the ones that are set apart from the others. Why? Because in that twinkling of a moment, we have totally humbled ourselves to the power of his hand with no pretense or expectation other than total reliance on him!

Let God work a miracle in your life! Ask him to lead you and he will. Scary as it may be, you won't be alone - he's right there with you, all the time! The words of Nicole Mullin's rendition of "My Redeemer Lives" tells us that "the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken, they conquered death to bring me victory". Reach out for your piece of the victory and take the nail scarred hand of Jesus!