(The following is the March 1 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Mark 16 and pay close attention to verses 1-4.)
As Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome walked to Jesus’ tomb, they wondered who would roll the stone away from the entrance so they could anoint Jesus’ body with spices. When they arrived, they were surprised to see the stone already moved. They entered the tomb and saw an angel who told them Jesus had risen.
It is admirable that the women went to the tomb without knowing how everything that needed to happen would occur. We can learn a few things from the women’s simple conversation and experience:
They spent time worrying about a problem that only existed in their minds. Does that sound familiar? We often devote too much time fretting over things that never happen.
If God wants a job done, he is more than capable of removing any obstacle of any size that interferes with his will. He will send an angel if necessary.
Spurgeon wrote, “There might have been no angel if there had been no stone—and we might have no revelation of the power of heaven to help us if we had not first had a revelation of our own weakness and inability to roll away the stone.” *
It is reasonable to recognize obstacles in our service for Christ. It would be foolish to ignore them. But we must remember we serve an unlimited, all-powerful God. He will do anything consistent with his character to accomplish his purposes.
Do not let obstacles – even significant ones – scare you from serving Christ. Do your part while trusting God to roll away any stones in his way.
Next Step:
What obstacles do you face in accomplishing what Christ calls you to do? Are you trusting him to remove them in his way and time, or are you trying to do it all yourself? Pray for wisdom to know your next steps and for patience and faith to trust him to handle the rest.
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*CSB Spurgeon Study Bible, ed. Alistair Begg (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1364.