Don't Miss The Lord's Visitation

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!” 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 20:1-16 (New International Version, NIV)

Jesus rose on the first day of the week, which is Sunday. This is why most Christians gather for worship on Sunday.

Peter and John went to the tomb, but they didn’t see anything other than the empty tomb and grave clothes. They came, they looked, and then they went away. However, Mary lingered there, thus meeting the risen Christ and being the first to do so. She spent time at the tomb, and she didn’t miss her Lord’s visitation.

I think we often miss what God wants to show us and tell us because we don’t wait for Him. We’re in too much of hurry to linger. In the hustle and bustle of life, we fail to give the Lord one of the most important things we have: our time. Intimacy does not come from a quick encounter but from time spent just enjoying the sweetness of each other’s company.

As we wait long enough on the Lord, He will come to us, calling us by name. That’s what a personal relationship with Jesus is like. As we wait and linger, He will open our hearts to know Him in a new and living way. He will take us deeper into an up-close knowledge of Him- relating to Him personally, one-on-one. Jesus may show up in unexpected ways. As we look for Him, we’ll discover He is there. He’ll give us a message to go and tell others that He is risen. Time spent in His presence fills us with Him and with His message.

As we take the time to wait on Him, we will meet the risen Christ. He will rise within us, and we will rise with the message that He is alive. Daily time with God is an appointment that’s too important to miss. Don’t miss the Lord’s visitation.