“And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.” Matthew 28:2

Declaration of Victory

This is a short devotional with a very big thought.

Maybe you’ve seen this picture somewhere. It is a little freckle-faced tomboy, long pigtails braided, bows askew. Her knee sports a bandage, her hands are on her hips. Her face is dirty, but she is grinning. She has just won a fight—against a boy. Norman Rockwell, anyone?

We’ve seen pictures of Neil Armstrong putting the American flag on the moon. It speaks of conquest. Ownership.

And we’ve seen boxers and wrestlers, sweaty and bleeding, with their foot on the chest of their vanquished foe. Triumph. Strength. Victory.

Now, picture the angel who has rolled away the stone from the tomb where Jesus was laid. The stone is huge. Extremely heavy. Impossible to budge. And what is the angel doing?

Sitting. On the stone. The great big, impossible stone that was meant to keep Jesus in the grave. As if to say, “Great big stone? What great big stone? I don’t see any great big stone. All I see is this chair I’m sitting on.” Smiling. Joyful. Amused, perhaps.

It’s brilliant, God’s plan. What are we worried about? The hard stuff is already done by His own mighty hand.

Great big stone? It’s really just a chair. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

To You who raise dead men as if they are only sleeping, be all glory and honor and praise and thanksgiving. Nothing is too hard for You. Blessed be Your Name.