Do you like waiting? What if you are waiting in grief? What if all your hopes had just been dashed? What if you feel as though your dreams were just crushed? Do you look for something to put your hope in? Is the waiting excruciating in one of these situations?
Our culture has conditioned us to absolutely abhor waiting. We live in an instant gratification society. Waiting is not something we like to do. Waiting is made worse when we are grieving the loss of a loved one. The waiting between a death and the funeral can be draining.
The disciples—the Apostles and Jesus’ other close followers—were distraught. Their dreams of a new king who would rejuvenate, revitalize, renew Israel had died. They were huddled in a room, hoping they would not be the next ones to be dragged through the streets and crucified for being a follower of Jesus.
The disciples had witnessed the gruesome crucifixion. They had witnessed Jesus’ body being brought down from the cross. They had witnessed His body being put into a tomb. They may have been alongside Nicodemus, who wrapped the body and put spices on it. The shock of what had happened was overwhelming.
We may experience similar feelings and shock when a loved unexpectedly dies. When it happens, we do not know how to feel, but also feel a wide range of emotions. It is confusing. It is disconcerting. It is disorienting. We feel lost. We may be angry. Our demeanor can switch from sadness to anger to fear to crushing defeat in a manner of minutes.
I pray we all take time to think about the disciples’ emotions. I pray we ponder how we might feel or have felt when we lose a loved one. I pray each one of us realize there is a purpose to waiting. Recognize your emotions. Understand what it means to lose. Know that waiting has a purpose. Learn to trust God in your waiting.
John 19:41-42 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Marty Pressey 