Day 24: The Women Remember – Faith Awakens
Clare Foster (Luke 24:9–12)
“When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others… But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb…”
Resurrection morning begins with remembrance.
Just moments earlier, the angels had reminded the women that Jesus had already told them this would happen. In Luke 9:22, Jesus clearly said: “The Son of Man must suffer many things… be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Later again, in Matthew 16:21, Jesus explained the same truth to His disciples. Peter himself struggled with this at the time and could not accept that Jesus would suffer and die. Yet when the moment came, the disciples were overwhelmed with grief and confusion.
Sometimes faith awakens not because we receive new information, but because we remember what God has already said. The resurrection was not a surprise in God’s plan. It was the fulfilment of promises spoken long before. The suffering of Jesus had been foretold centuries earlier. In Isaiah 53, the prophet describes a servant who would be rejected, pierced, and carry the sins of many — a picture that becomes unmistakably clear when we look at the cross. Likewise, Psalm 22 vividly portrays the anguish of a righteous sufferer whose hands and feet are pierced and whose garments are divided. Reading it now, it’s hard not to see the cross already written there. The cross was not an accident. It was the ultimate sacrifice foretold in Scripture. Yet while the cross shows us the depth of Jesus’ suffering, the resurrection reveals that suffering was never the end of the story. Without the resurrection, the story ends in mourning. With the resurrection, grief gives way to hope.
Many believers speak of the miracle of the soul going to heaven. Yet the resurrection is even more astonishing. The resurrection declares that death itself has been defeated. Jesus was not merely spiritually alive; the tomb was empty.
It is striking that the first witnesses of the resurrection were women. In the culture of the time, women’s testimony was often not considered reliable in legal settings. Yet God chose these women to be the first messengers of the greatest news in history. Their voices may have been dismissed by the disciples, but heaven honoured them first. It’s a reminder that God often works through people the world might overlook. Among the women was Mary Magdalene, a woman whose past included deep spiritual oppression before Jesus set her free. Her story reminds us that God uses people with broken histories. The same woman, once bound by darkness, became one of the first witnesses to the light of the resurrection. Grace does not merely forgive the past — it redeems it for God’s purpose.
Activation
How often do we do the same? God speaks promises over our lives, yet we approach situations expecting loss rather than resurrection. The women remembered — and their remembrance helped ignite faith in others.
Take a moment to reflect on what Jesus has already spoken in Scripture:
• What promises of God do you need to remember again today?
• Where might God be inviting you to move from mourning to expectation?
• Is there an area where you need to seek the truth more deeply, like Peter running to the tomb?
Ask the Holy Spirit to awaken faith in places where doubt or disappointment may have settled.
Reflective Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the victory of the resurrection. Thank You that the cross was not the end of the story. Help us to remember Your words when circumstances make them difficult to believe. Where doubt has crept in, awaken faith. Where grief has lingered, restore hope. Teach us to trust the promises spoken in Scripture long before we see their fulfilment. Like the women at the tomb, help us remember. Like Peter, give us the courage to seek and discover Your truth. May the reality of the risen Christ awaken our faith again today.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.