August 25

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. — John 11:25 BSB

How often do we find ourselves in places where we feel utterly dead in spirit. Has sin ever slain you? Have convictions ever seemed to knock the very life of God out of your soul? Has Satan ever come at you with his fiery darts, armed with all the weapons of hell, and scorched up every gracious feeling and living desire within you? Have you ever sunk into such a state of spiritual deadness that you felt devoid of all grace, wondering if it were even possible for grace to revive your soul again? In that place, you were dead. I have often found myself there, and it is because of this experience that I can describe it to you.

Yet, even in this state of deadness, there remains a longing look, a heartfelt groan, a heaving sigh, and a struggle against despair. There is not a complete surrender to the darkness or a sinking into utter hopelessness. The Spirit of God keeps His work alive in the soul, and Christ Himself, the Resurrection, drops into our hearts, stirring the life within us and drawing us toward Himself. Thus, the gracious promise is fulfilled: “Whoever believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

In the midst of our deadness, emptiness, and helplessness, if there is still a longing look toward Christ, a sincere cry for help, or an earnest groan for life, He will hear us. As the Resurrection, He will once again breathe life into our weary and desolate souls. We have no other source of life but Him. If we were truly dead, we would remain dead forever—unless He, as the Resurrection, revives us. Because He is the Resurrection, He can reanimate, renew, and refresh us by pouring fresh life into our hearts. Our mercy lies in continually looking to Him, trusting in Him, and giving Him no rest until He revives us again, bringing joy and rejoicing back to our hearts.