10 Weekly Spiritual Habits: A Guide to Cultivation

Outside the Tomb (Day 2)

"I know that you are looking for Jesus," – Matthew 28:5

These two women arrived at Jesus' grave expecting to see Him. They witnessed Jesus dying on the cross and assumed He was still dead. Although they were told directly that Jesus had resurrected, they did not recognize Him when they later saw Him (John 20:15).

This is not the only time that people who knew Jesus failed to recognize Him after His crucifixion. This also occurred in John 21 and Luke 24 on the disciples' fishing trip and on the road to Emmaus, respectively.

We are often like some of these people in that we know Jesus is present in our lives and circumstances, but He is not where we anticipate Him to be. Sometimes we expect God to answer our needs in specific ways. For example, we may expect God to provide for a financial need in an envelope in the mail when He provides through another means, such as lowering expenses. Either way, God provides, and His promises are still true.  
 
We can also sometimes fall into the trap of losing sight of the fact that Jesus is still present in our lives. Through the distractions, stress, and business of life, we can take our eyes off of Jesus just as Peter did when Jesus invited Him to walk on water (Matthew 14:22-33). Peace in our lives is not found in the absence of storms but in the presence of Jesus in our lives.

God, when my soul is searching, may I know that the answer to every longing is found in You.

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