The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Matthew 28:5-8
As I read the surrounding verses of the verse of the week this week, what struck me most was in verse 8, the phrase “afraid yet filled with joy.” Initially, I wondered how any sort of fear can simultaneously bring us joy. And as I continued to meditate on this phrase, I began to understand that there are many situations that bring us this feeling.
I imagine that parenting is a sense of fear filled with joy as can be love or new beginnings. Starting a new job or trying something we have never done often fills us with fear but can excite us and bring us joy. Earlier in these verses, the angel tells the women that Jesus has gone ahead of them. The same stands for us. We do not need to be afraid, for Jesus has gone before us to cleanse us, be our bridge with God, and offer his hand to fill us with joy. There is nothing we have faced He has not gone through.
I encourage you this week to think about the times you have felt both fear and joy about something. Thank Jesus for the joy He has filled you with and that He is a friend who has gone before you, able to provide you with peace and support when the fear threatens the joy.
Prayer:
Jesus,
Thank You for being the One who has gone ahead of me so that I can know that joy is possible in spite of fear I may feel. When fear threatens my joy, fill my heart with Your wisdom and spirit that I may experience the joy of the present and know that You are with me.
In Your Name I pray,
Amen