Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb which had been cut out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching to see where He was laid.

We often remember Mary Magdalene as the first to see Jesus resurrected, but she was also one of the only ones who also experienced the finality of the closed tomb. The Messiah she had followed was gone. Sometimes in life all hope feels lost. When tragedy strikes or the news of the world feels overwhelming, we feel the brokenness of the world with a new depth. What hope is there when things feel so dark and death feels so final? Mary Magdalene did not avoid the pain of Jesus’s death but walked through it, and she was the first to behold the beauty of the resurrection.

When all hope feels lost, we can still walk with God. He is the One who brought hope in the darkest moment of human history, and He is continuing to do the work of redemption even today. We can bring our broken pieces of life to Him—the anxieties we face and the heartbreaks we experience—and carry the weight of grief with hope that God is with us. Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.” In Christ, we do not have to avoid suffering. We can grieve with peace and hope in God who redeems our broken pieces. He showed His presence and power most clearly when all hope felt lost.

• What are some areas of life where all hope feels lost? Have you gone to God about those things? What would that look like?
• How do you handle grief? What are some of the unhealthy ways you cope? What are the ways you can press into God in times of grief?
• Pray and thank God for His presence in grief and ask Him to help you process and grieve with Him and with hope.