Today’s Truth

He is not here; he has risen! (Luke 24:6 NIV).

Friend to Friend

The promise that “God’s Got You” is the basic theme of Easter. A crisis knocks us to our knees. Panic grips our hearts. No hope, no solution, and no deliverance. But when we cry out to God, His response changes everything. “I’ve got you, child!” Then everything that seemed to be falling apart begins falling into place. We realize that the crisis we thought came to destroy us came to cleanse us. And through it all, we hear the promise from our Father, “I’ve got you!”

That is precisely what the women learned when they went to the tomb that first Easter morning. The women knew Jesus was dead. And they were sure His body was in the tomb; it had been there since Friday. But when they went to anoint the body on that Sunday morning, the tomb was empty!

The body could not have been stolen. The miracle was real! They could see the empty tomb with their own eyes.

He is not here; he has risen! (Luke 24:6 NIV).

Jesus Christ really had risen from the dead, leaving them with the message and hope of “I’ve got you!”

I would love to have been there that morning when the women went to the tomb – expecting to deal with death and instead found life, wouldn’t you?

You may be dealing with death in your own life – the loss of a loved one,the death of a dream, the pain of a broken body. But, remember, the tomb was empty, and He’s got you!

In Mrs. Stephens’ fourth grade Sunday school class, the boys and girls entered the room and quickly found their seats. The kids were dressed in their finest clothes. The room was filled with excitement – for a good reason. It was Easter Sunday.

Mrs. Stephens wanted to help her students understand that there is much more to the Easter holiday than new clothes, chocolate bunnies, and egg hunts.

Easter is about life. Easter celebrates the certainty of Jesus’ death on the cross, burial, and resurrection– Now we can have eternal life with Jesus in heaven, and abundant life with Him here and now.

Mrs. Stephens came up with a plan. After sharing the Bible story of Jesus’ resurrection, she gave each one of her students an empty plastic egg and said, “We are going to take a walk outside and I want each one of you to find one sign of life and put it in your plastic egg.”

As the children filed out of the room, Mrs. Stephens noticed Danny, a little boy with Down Syndrome who had been coming to her class for some time. She often thought he had taught her so much more about the unconditional love of God and the joy of simply being a child of God than she could ever teach him. Even when the other children made fun of Danny, he thought of each child as his “buddy.”

The children returned from their walk, depositing their eggs on the teacher’s desk. The children had collected flowers, ants, blades of grass, and even a butterfly to fill their eggs. But one egg was empty. Everyone knew whose egg it was.

Mrs. Stephens silenced the giggles with a look of warning. When she asked Danny why he hadn’t put anything inside his egg to show signs of life, his face broke into a massive grin as he responded, “Because the tomb was empty.”

Danny understood the profound truth of Easter. The empty tomb is the ultimate sign of life and a miracle like none other.

On this Easter weekend, spend some time thanking God for the miracle of life. And then share the good news with someone else: He has risen! He is risen indeed!

Let’s Pray

Father, thank You for the miracle of life. Help me celebrate that life every day. I say with the apostle Paul, “Where, O death, is your sting?”
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ mean to you? Set aside time today to remember what Christ has done in your life through His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.

More from the Girlfriends

I know life can be painful, but if God is God – and He is – then laughter and joy are part of God’s plan for our lives.

We can learn to be joyful. We just have to make the choice to search for God’s hand prints every day. Mary’s spiral bound Joy Journal will help guide you to a place of contentment and joy.

Connect with Mary on Facebook or through email at mary@marysoutherland.com.

Need prayer? Email our Prayer Team Director, Ginger Meador. We would love to pray for you!

© 2022 by Mary Southerland. All rights reserved.

11 Responses to “God’s Got You”

  1. McCoy Maura says:

    Good morning! And a blessed Good Friday to you.
    We have been attending the same church for over 30 years. One of our members is a young man (now >40) who has Downs. I agree that there is no one that has a purer heart and a gentler spirit. Jesus just shines from Jason! He loves Him completely, and we have only to watch and listen to see how it’s done ❤️🙏

  2. Donan Giard says:

    As I sit in the hospital waiting room to be let in to see my dad who’s 92 and has pneumonia (not covid)He has been intubated. I read this devotional it hit the spot. He’s a Christian and told the nurse yesterday he was ready to meet Jesus. I’m praying the song In Jesus name. By Katy Nichole. Thank you for this today it was from God

  3. Rebecca says:

    Echoing the previous post, blessings to you on this Good Friday morning! Once again, God sucker punched me this morning! He sure has a way of reminding me that I am His! At Thad beginning of the divorce process, I felt alone and scared and so uncertain. It didn’t take me much more than 24 hours to realize I needed my journal, devotions, prayer circles (literal and figurative) and my broken heart to reach out to God. I am stronger each day in mind, heart and body because of my mindset and what God has done for me. There is a whole lot of truth to the statement of Down’s children and adults being cheerful and looking at ideas differently. We know that “God’s got us” too! Yes, I am 48 years old, been married for 22 years, and a certified special education teacher who decided to go into a field which I could have been a part of but wasn’t. I went into the field of special education to give back to the students who I now call my children. Hallelujah! He has risen and given me hope and a future! (Jeremiah 29:11)

  4. Karla V says:

    This is exactly what I needed to read today. My 2 year old son died a year ago next week. My heart is hurting. I was close to a panic attack this morning and decided to come read my devotions. And this is what I read. I love that thought-they came to deal with death and found life instead!!!! The tomb was empty. My sweet boy is alive….with Jesus. And that’s BECAUSE the tomb was empty! Thank you for these words..they brought so much comfort to me today.

  5. Jo says:

    Mary, Blessings to you on this very special day. Thank you for always lifting us up when we so need it. It is always a pleasure to read and share your devotions. Kn His Name.

  6. Pam says:

    A few years ago I was going through a situation and while randomly praying about it I quickly (immediately) heard in my head these exact words “I’ve got you” and things got better right away. That situation is back, a very bad broken heart from the same person. I long to hear those words from God again right now. Regardless of the outcome this time I just long to hear from him that things will work out in my life. Whatever way God wants it to. I just don’t fee him right now and it makes me feel so alone.

  7. Carol says:

    “Good Morning” to you Mary, on this Good Friday!
    I want to look at the perspective of Jesus’ resurrection like Danny!
    Our Lord’s plan with the Father, was so selfless and unbelievable! Just to know that Jesus stepped forward, and volunteered to be our Savior, still makes me reflect on how much He loves us! Isn’t it amazing?!
    Blessed Easter to you!

  8. Marsha says:

    Pam, I just prayed for you! I’ve asked God to show up today in a way you won’t miss Him. Thank you for sharing your “remember when” story about when He showed up before! You’ll recognize Him today…again!

  9. Kristy says:

    Pam when you heard Him say “I’ve got you”, that was not only for the time this was happening but for always. He knew what the future would hold for you. Always remember those words you heard from Him.

  10. Tiffany says:

    Mary, another fruitful and helpful writing. Thank you. For me, learning that Jesus not only came to pay the penalty of my sins (which…hallelujah) but He also came to heal my heart, renew my mind, give me abundant life, cultivate an intimate relationship between me and the Father…has been additionally life changing. The Gospel doesn’t change but the depth of my understanding of it has the more and more I get to know Jesus.

  11. Nneoma says:

    Thanks for this message, I have been feeling anxious lately about the future. I just needed this message. Thank you Lord for life

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"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well…" 1 Thessalonians 2:8