A Special Good Friday Devotional
9 Days of Seclusion: INTIMACY
Click below for a playback of this Devotional Reading
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward Him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means ”Teacher”). ~John 20:16
(Inspired by Mary Magdalene)
God, I don’t want much. Just the mist from your waterfall is all I require right now.
With bated breath and a mind of their own, my pores open and rise, humming while the breeze elevates their melody beyond my senses.
"Mary".
A voice is calling me. The clouds open. I turn and see… Heaven is standing before me. It looks cool and inviting, warm and comforting, open and eager to welcome my old soul.
The joyful tears shed in another realm feel like a spring rain to my dry spirit.
My hope thought lost has returned.
I dive into its liquid abyss and glide through clear lakes, roaring rivers and deep seas alive with adventures waiting my attention.
Uncharted territory is my residence now. The never-ending is my permanent address.
I am ready to flow.
Intimacy has come home.
He said He would never leave me, never forsake me, never forget me.
Will others ever understand our synchronicity?
No, not the cynics who can’t understand the ways and means of God’s WAYS and MEANS that thrive in my body of life.
They couldn’t understand the place of bliss I frequent on days and nights like this.
‘He asked me, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’
I looked for you, Lord, and I’m so glad I did.
But where are disciples? Why are they not here? Do they even realize the joy of our salvation is among us?
I welcome this holiday from life and expect to see tourists, someone else desperate to breath in the glory, too. Those who, like me, aren’t asking for directions back to the mundane.
Not right now.
Not in the heart’s sanctuary.
"Mary".
I feel my "9 Days" in a moment.
The place where Infinite is a tic on the eternity clock.
The space where Jesus calls each of us by name and we float of the smiles of ancestral witnesses resting their feet on opaque pillows.
This is what LOVE looks like. Intimacy in His presence.
Jesus, I am awake… and you are alive, yet still a dream.
You are the glow before me and the glow within me. I will hold your light in my heart. It will live in my life.
Welcome, oh, Lord, to my dreams.
_____
Are You Ready for the Encounter of a Lifetime?
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. ~John 20:18
His Body – tortured. His Heart – tormented. Mary was there.
It had only been a few days since the Cross. Only a few days since Jesus suffered with life pouring out of Him. Only a few days since He watched in sorrow as Roman soldiers cast lots for His clothes while He hang between two thieves. So many who said they loved Him are now nowhere to be found, but she was there. Watching. Crying. Grieving. Mary Magdalene saw the torture of his body. Mary Magdalene felt the torment of his heart.
And she would be there, even after death.
Jesus was her deliverer, her master, her teacher. There was no question. She would be there. She didn’t know what to expect, but she was going to see about Jesus. She came to care for His body like she would a sick friend rather than a dead corpse. Theirs was an intimacy of the spirit beyond the grave, and she would not leave Him despite the grave.
Witnessing the pain of the Cross was immense. Witnessing the victory of the Tomb would be immeasurable.
“Mary.”
As the first to see the Risen Savior, she had been set apart. It was an intimate gift, humanity’s first experience with HIS RESURRECTED POWER. Jesus chose Mary Magdalene to encounter the innermost of God before all others not because of timing. He chose her because He knew He could trust her with the sacred.
Yes, a woman. Once demon-possessed. Once defiled. Now… trusted by God.
Can God trust you?
Oh, to have an absolute devotion that even death cannot kill!
This kind of tenderness is irresistible to God, and He will not have true love go unnoticed. He didn't with Mary Magdalene, and He will not with YOU.
Today, let go of whatever you may be going through and go to God. But this time, don’t go looking for an answer. Simply SEEK THE SACRED. Seek Him to serve Him.
Your love is never wasted on the Father. Let your reverence for Christ be obvious.
There is something He wants to share with only you.
Today, be there for GOD and experience the encounter of a lifetime.
