(The following is the March 12 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Luke 7 and pay close attention to verses 11-17.)

One of the people Jesus raised from the dead during his earthly ministry was a widow’s only son. Jesus was moved with compassion for the widow, touched the open coffin, and commanded, “Young man, I tell you, get up!” (v. 14). The young man sat up and started speaking. The crowd glorified God, exclaiming that a great prophet was among them.

No miracle is more dramatic than raising someone from the dead. People may try to explain healings or other events as natural phenomena, but there is no natural explanation for life returning to a dead body. At one moment, there was lifelessness, then Jesus spoke, and there was life. Just as he spoke into existence all creation, Jesus spoke life into this widow’s son. Likewise, he is sovereign over our life, death, and eventual bodily resurrection.

What an encouragement to know that the one to whom we entrust our lives can raise us from our deceased mortal bodies and grant us eternal life. We need not fear when or how we will die because that is not the end of our story. All who Christ redeems will be raised to new life again after earthly death. Then our Lord will call us home into his glorious presence for all eternity.

The older one gets, the more one ponders death and the afterlife. How beautiful and welcome are Paul’s words to the Thessalonians on the matter: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

Next Step:
Pray about the coming day when your life on Earth ceases and your eternity in God’s presence begins. Praise him for being the giver of life and the One who will raise you to new life in his presence.