Go Back To Where You Saw Him Last

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” John 20:1-2 NIV 

Though she stood by him, along with Mary (Jesus Mother) and John at the cross, Mary Magdalene was now searching for Jesus, in his absence.  She had walked with him for some time, while he was in the flesh, and now that he had been buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea she was seeking him.

It’s like that for us in life sometimes, isn’t it?  We can walk in faith for a long time but sometimes we just don’t feel him or see his hand working in our lives. Mary gives us a good example of what we must do find Jesus again, if we feel separated from him.  We must go back to where we saw him last.

She then does what the Lord always desires; she brings others back to the same place to look for him!

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.”She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).John 20:3-16 NIV

How great is this, all who are seeking him- WILL FIND HIM!

It is important to remember that as human beings, we are prone to feel separate from the Father (and his son our Lord and God) – at times, especially when we sin.  This goes back to the garden when man was separated for the first time:

And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:22-24 NIV

If you’ve fallen into sin and no longer feel close to God, call out to him; avoid any extended time away from him. You see, he never lets go of us. He is always there, ready to take us back under his fold (under his wing).  All you must do is seek him, and you will find him.

Not sensing God’s presence doesn’t always mean we fell into sin, this can simply be a time of strife, when our spiritual walk isn’t as strong as we’d like and we need to seek his presence that much more.

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. Genesis 28:10-19 NIV

Jacob’s encounter here is where he felt strong in his walk and in the presence of the Lord.  Later, when Jacob has trials, as we all do, notice where the Lord tells him to go:

Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” Genesis 35:1-3 NIV

The Lord, understanding Jacob’s struggle, gives him the command to do just what Mary did when she felt alone, and separate from the Lord, “Go back to where you saw me last.”

The Lord is aware of our struggles and in those times when we don’t feel him as close as we want – he is there! We need to go back to the place where we saw him last. This can be anywhere, at a park, or a mountain, on a walk, in the church, or on our knees.

Remember – He is only a breath away.  If we will cry out his name, he will throw out his arms.

 

Love one another!

Barnabas

 

Special thanks for this guest submission by Barnabas.