The Best is Yet to Come

Today is Easter Sunday, Resurrection Day, April 17, 2022.

May the peace of Christ find you today.

Day 23,411

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o'er His foes
He arose a victor from the dark domain
And He lives forever with His saints to reign!
He arose!
He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!
(Up From the Grave He Arose, w/m by Robert Lowry, 1874)

"O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."
(The Book of Common Prayer, Collect for Easter Day)

"Decision Day," by Daryl Madden

And here it is
Decision day
Did Jesus rise
What do you say?

Let our answer
Be Amen, yes!
Place in His arms
Our soul to rest

If we believe
Our answer true
Oh, truly this
Will transform you!

No death to fear
Our joy so great
With His passion
Let’s celebrate!

Please visit Daryl’s poetry blog at the link provided above.

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”
(Luke 24:1-6 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

1. that He is risen
2. that the Lord saw fit to place me in a family that would lead me to be a believer in Him, and then drew me to Himself
3. for hugs; for being held by another human being; and that my God holds me in His hand
4. that the best is yet to come
5. for prayer, which helps me to take care of my most important need, the "God-need," and that my need for God can never be satisfied, only deepened

The prayer word for today is “hold.” Francine Rivers, American author, is quoted as saying, “God holds me in the palm of His hand and no one can take Him from me.”

This is a paraphrase of the words of Jesus, in John 10.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
(John 10:27-30 ESV)

The word “hold” can be found in many popular hymns and songs. “I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand,” is one such lyric. Rich Mullins wrote a song simply called, “Hold Me, Jesus.”

Most people, unless they have sensory issues, love to be held. Hugs are very popular. I, myself, am a huge proponent of hugs. The human touch is important to mental health, and that is one reason that so many people are suffering mentally throughout this pandemic.

As I consider the word in the context of this special day, there is another place where “hold” comes into play. In this case, it is an instance where something could not hold. The grave could not hold my Savior!

(From Pray a Word a Day)

Father, I thank You that You hold me in the palm of Your hand. I praise You that no one, not even me, can snatch me out of Your hand, and that no one has the power or authority to take You away from me. There is no government in the world that can do that. But I also thank You and praise You, especially today, that the grave could not hold Jesus Christ down. And it is that same power that raised Him from the dead that resides in us today, by the Holy Spirit. May we know that power, Father, as we walk through our daily lives, and may we be inspired to live in that power, and know the defeat of our enemy, first hand.

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
(John 20:3-4 NIV)

For Peter and the other disciples, as they faced this resurrection morning, “the best was yet to come.” (Logan Eliasen, in Daily Guideposts 2022) The had pretty much retreated to their old ways of life until everything exploded on this first day of the week.

Isn’t this true of all of us, though. “The best is yet to come.” How often have we heard this phrase in our lifetimes? I forget this, and need to remember this truth, every day. No matter how good things are, no matter how bad things may be. The best is yet to come.

Because someday, we will join Jesus in this resurrection. And, as another old hymn says, that will be “glory for me.” Written by Charles H. Gabriel:

When all my labors and trials are o’er,
And I am safe on that beautiful shore,
Just to be near the dear Lord I adore,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

Refrain:
Oh, that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me,
When by His grace I shall look on His face,
That will be glory, be glory for me.

When, by the gift of His infinite grace,
I am accorded in heaven a place,
Just to be there and to look on His face,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

Friends will be there I have loved long ago;
Joy like a river around me will flow;
Yet just a smile from my Savior, I know,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
(Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV)

Father, even though the resurrection that we celebrate today has been the single greatest event in all of history, I believe, with all my heart, that the best is yet to come. What could be greater than the resurrection of Jesus? Everything that is depicted in that hymn, above. “When by His grace I shall look on His face.” My soul nearly explodes in anticipation of that day. It is the (or at least should be) the single direction of my life; it should be the “main thing.” And, no matter what else I pursue in this life, it should all be driven by that main thing.

Unfortunately, it isn’t always, and I confess that, because my attention span is shallow and short. I have allowed culture to influence me. Forgive me for this, Father, and help me to reverse this trend. Help me to press on, as Paul said, to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call.” Help me to remember that the best is yet to come.

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
(Psalms 73:2-3 ESV)

As I continue to consider the truth that “the best is yet to come,” I have to acknowledge that “I don’t yet have what I want.” And consider the needs that keep recurring. My hunger is satisfied in the morning by a bowl of cereal or some eggs and bacon. But, approximately four hours later, that hunger is back, demanding lunch.

We constantly have to buy new clothes, because, either the old ones wear out (the best reason for buying new clothes), or they become out of fashion (the worst reason for buying new clothes).

And our culture, which is well aware of these needs, exploits them. In fact, they find ways to manipulate and influence us to feel deeper “needs” than we really have. They distort the line between “need” and “want.” “The need they start with is usually legitimate, but then it is distorted and twisted into rampant and out-of-control greed.”

“A waiting heart deliberately interrupts this process in which our needs become corrupted by covetousness. We are returned to our basic needs, our God-need, and are directed to take care of that. Fundamentally, we take care of it by praying.”

God should be the first “item” on our list of needs. And we deal with that need through prayer, meditation, and contemplation.

But here is the catch. There’s always a catch, right? Just as that hunger for lunch returns, even though it was temporarily satisfied by breakfast, our need for God does not go away when we pray. In fact, not only does it remain, but it deepens! “And so we find ourselves waiting – for wholeness, for the coming of Christ. Waiting can make us impatient and irritable, or it can make us more and more helpful and ready. Waiting, for the praying Christian, is a gospel art.”

There are two kinds of waiting, as Peterson has already alluded to. One kind waits impatiently, wondering why it doesn’t already have what it wants. The other kind remembers that “the best is yet to come,” and waits with patient anticipation, reveling in the present grace of God, while also waiting for His future grace, with assurance that it is on the way.

(From On Living Well, by Eugene H. Peterson)

Father, help me to wait in the second way. Even now, I still get impatient when I have to wait longer than I think I should have to wait for something. I get annoyed when the traffic light turns red. I get frustrated when my Sonic drinks take too long to come to me. God forgive me. There is no telling what the purpose of that delay was for. The extra time at the traffic light could be spent praying or meditating, rather than grumbling. Ditto the extra time in the Sonic stall. Yes, I want to get home, where my loved ones are waiting for me (and their Sonic drinks).

God, help me to remember the words of Dallas Willard, when he told John Ortberg to “ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” There is no reason to hurry. Help me to wait with the patient expectation that, yes, the best is yet to come. Someday, we don’t know when, Jesus is coming soon. If we knew when, it would be easier to be ready, wouldn’t it? But seeing as how I am always late getting ready for things, why would that event be any different? Therefore, I need to make sure I am ready now, because it could happen at any time, right? I don’t know about all the prophecy and theology behind this. I know that Paul and the other apostles believed that He would be returning in a matter of years, maybe weeks, from the days in which they were writing.

Help me to wait, Lord. Help me to live expectantly, not impatiently. Help me to know the power of the resurrected Jesus in my life, as I walk through this world and in Your kingdom. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”

Yes, and amen, Lord!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
(Philippians 1:3-6 ESV)

Grace and peace, friends.

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