Encountering Jesus in Our Fear

Live long enough and you’ll be afraid of the “things” of this life! All of us experience fear during the course of our lives, but sometimes circumstances can seem overwhelming and it can seem as if God is absent, God is gone, or worse…God is dead! That’s how Mary felt here. Her Lord was not only dead but He was also gone! What would her future look like now? How would she live on after three years invested in service in and through Jesus? And then Jesus shows up! He didn’t have to. He could have waited till Mary was with the rest of the disciples but nope, Jesus met her in her fear (and grief). He came to her when she needed Him most…and so it is with us. As Psalm 23 says it, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil”…and why? “Because you are with me” David writes. Jesus meets us, comes to us, and thankfully He does so even in our fear!