Day 20

The Resurrection and the Life

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25, KJV)

Morning Devotion

Death has a way of stopping everything.

The sound of laughter goes quiet.

The routine loses rhythm.

Hope feels heavy.

That is the world Mary and Martha were living in when Jesus arrived in Bethany. Their brother Lazarus had died four days earlier. The tomb was sealed, the mourners gathered, and all they could say was, “Lord, if You had been here…”

It is a phrase we have all whispered in our own ways.

“Lord, if You had healed…”

“Lord, if You had answered sooner…”

“Lord, if You had just shown up.”

When Jesus looked into their grief, He did not offer sympathy alone. He made a declaration that changed everything.

“I am the resurrection and the life.”

He did not say, “I can resurrect.” He said, “I am resurrection.”

That means wherever Jesus is, death has to move out.

A Porch Story

Years ago, I sat on my front porch with a man who had just buried his wife of fifty years. We did not say much at first. He just stared out toward the horizon as the sun dipped low, painting the sky in streaks of orange and gold.

After a long silence, he said quietly, “Preacher, I know she is gone, but somehow I still feel her near. It is strange. I cannot see her, but I can sense the peace she always carried.”

I nodded and said, “That is resurrection working even here.”

He looked at me, puzzled, and I explained, “Resurrection does not just start when you die. It starts the moment Jesus steps into your story. He does not just raise the dead. He brings dead things back to life while we are still breathing.”

He smiled then, slow and tired, and said, “Well, in that case, I guess I have still got some living left to do.”

We sat there in the fading light, two men on a porch, quietly believing that the same Savior who conquered the grave was still bringing life to hearts that hurt.

When Hope Feels Buried

We all have our “Lazarus moments,” times when something we loved seems lost beyond recovery.

A dream that did not happen.

A friendship that fell apart.

A season that ended too soon.

We seal the tomb, roll the stone, and assume it is over.

But Jesus still walks into tombs, not to mourn, but to resurrect. He stands outside the grave of your hopelessness and says the same words He spoke that day in Bethany. “Lazarus, come forth.”

Here is the part we often forget. Lazarus came out still wrapped in grave clothes. Resurrection is instant, but restoration takes time. Jesus brings you back to life, then patiently unwraps the layers, fear, shame, doubt, until you are free again.

Life Application

Think about one area of your life that feels lifeless right now. Maybe it is your passion, your faith, your joy, or your confidence. Write it down and pray over it.

“Lord, breathe resurrection life into this.”

Then take one small act of faith. Make the call. Write the note. Pray the prayer. Start the step. You do not resurrect yourself. You just make room for the One who can.

Sometimes the miracle is not the removal of the stone, but the courage to roll it away and let the light back in.

A Little Porchside Theology

Resurrection is not a doctrine to debate. It is a Person to know.

When Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” He was standing on enemy territory, looking death in the face and declaring, “You do not win.”

Then He proved it.

He wept, because grief is real.

He prayed, because dependence is powerful.

He shouted, because love is loud when it rescues its own.

A dead man walked out alive.

Every believer’s story follows that same pattern. What feels final is not. The empty tomb is proof that God always has one more move. Even when the world says “done,” heaven says “developing.”

Prayer

Jesus, my Resurrection and my Life,

Thank You for the power that raised You from the grave and now lives in me.

When I lose hope, remind me that You are still working behind the stone.

When I am tempted to give up, breathe new life into my faith.

Teach me to live with resurrection confidence, not just for eternity, but for today.

Help me to speak life into dead places and bring light into dark corners.

You are not just the God of my afterlife. You are the God of my right now.

In Your powerful name, Amen.

Reflection Question / Journal Prompt

Where in your life do you need Jesus to roll away a stone?

Write this in your journal: “Lord, I invite You into this tomb. Speak life where I have settled for silence.”

Then describe one way you will act on faith this week, something that says, “I believe You can raise this.”

Evening Reflection

Resurrection is not only about the grave. It is about today.

It is about watching God revive what you thought was dead, peace after chaos, laughter after loss, love after heartbreak.

Before you close your eyes tonight, take a deep breath and whisper,

“Jesus, thank You for bringing me back to life.”

Think of one “tomb” He has already called you out of, a fear, a failure, a past you thought defined you. Let gratitude wash over you like morning light through stained glass.

If you are still waiting on a miracle, do not lose heart. Sometimes the silence before resurrection is simply God clearing the stage for glory.

Your waiting may feel like a tomb, but it is actually a womb. Something new is being formed, not buried.

When morning comes, step into it like Lazarus, a little messy, maybe still wrapped in yesterday’s wrappings, but fully alive because Jesus called your name.

Final Thought

The same power that raised Jesus from the grave is not stuck in the pages of your Bible. It is living in you.

So tomorrow, walk with a little resurrection in your stride.

Smile when the world frowns.

Sing when life feels silent.

Hope when logic says it is over.

Because when the Resurrection and the Life lives in you, death is never the end. It is just the dark before dawn.