Abandoning Our Graves

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:11

I’m so excited that this week is finally here! My daughter Kristen and I are going to the Bethel Concert Victory Tour Wednesday night. We have been familiarizing ourselves with the music they will be performing. This morning as I was listening to one of the songs, I can’t quit thinking about the words. Ain’t No Grave by Bethel music puts to song the final weekend of the life of Jesus. Jesus was the unblemished Lamb and His choice to die is our gift to live. I love the imagery of the singer as she invites us to catch a glimpse of what was no doubt the greatest battle ever fought. The battle for the body and soul of Jesus. Evil thought it had won but Heaven knew that victory would be theirs. The grave temporarily celebrated its win only to have to answer to death, ‘Where is your sting?’ Jesus grabbed the keys and forever unlocked the door to eternity for you and for me. “Oh, there was a battle, a war between death and life, there on the tree the Lamb of God was crucified. He went on down to hell, He took back every key, He rose up as a Lion and He’s setting all captives free. There ain’t no grave, that’s going to hold my body down. If He’s walking out of the grave, then I’m walking too.” Ain’t No Grave – Bethel Music.

I’m so grateful that one day the trumpet will sound, and we can also walk out of our graves. Christ will ride in on the clouds coming back to earth for the final time and those ‘sleeping’ will join Him. But there are times when we experience graves on earth…times when we feel buried alive. Grief can keep us buried in our sadness. Fear’s velvet tongue can cause us to go to the grave of isolation. Worry can make our bodies so sick that we can’t even get out of bed in the mornings. The Lion rose up so that we could get up out of our self-imposed graves right now. Jesus walked out of an impossible grave…the grave that temporarily claimed His life. The grave for Jesus was a very short season and our graves are just that…seasons. When you feel that you are buried alive in your circumstances, grab hold of Christ because He has all the keys for victory. Don’t let your grave on earth claim your joy in Christ. When we allow the grave to hold us down, we are not walking out of the grave with Jesus. He died a defenseless Lamb but rose as a roaring Lion, and with that resurrection we too have His power to live in freedom. So may we all abandon our graves and grab the key of life enjoying the abundance of God.