Day 26: I Have Seen the Lord!
Renee Greenwood (John 20:11–18)
The disciples had come to the empty tomb, examined it carefully, and found only the folded linen cloths. Still having no understanding of what had happened, they returned to their homes — perhaps to regroup, perhaps to wait, or simply because they didn’t know what else to do.
But Mary stayed. She waited.
Think of the last time you misplaced something deeply valuable — your keys when you were already running late, or a sentimental piece of jewellery. You don’t simply glance around once; you look, and then you look again. That’s exactly where Mary found herself. Someone precious was missing, and she simply could not walk away.
Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. While the others left, she lingered. She refused to accept the situation as it appeared. Her love, devotion, and history with Jesus would not allow her to settle for a reality that suggested she had lost the One who transformed her life.
Mary didn’t just stand there. She also “stooped and looked” into the tomb. That small action captures the heart of spiritual waiting. Looking represents expectation. It is the inner resolve that says, I’m not leaving this moment the same. Her heart sensed what her eyes could not yet see. She lingered with the hope that something might shift. And it did!
In her waiting around the tomb, Mary created space for the supernatural to break in. Suddenly, angels appeared, and then the unimaginable happened: she became the first person to see the risen Lord. Her waiting positioned her to receive a revelation heaven was ready to release to anyone who was available to receive it.
Mary shows us that the deepest encounters often belong to those who refuse to hurry out of the presence of God. I love the old-fashioned term “tarrying,” which adds a bit more than “waiting.” It means to stay longer than intended or to delay leaving a place, and this is the place where transformation happens — from ordinary moments into divine ones, also known as DIVINE SUDDENLIES!
Today, the Lord invites us into a different kind of waiting. Jesus is no longer in the tomb, as He now lives within us. Yet everything around us battles for our attention: notifications, social media feeds, rushing from one task to the next, to the extent that stillness feels unnatural and waiting feels wasteful.
But this noise can blur our vision until we mistake Him for the gardener rather than the risen Lord. Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:6 remind us that “closing the door to the secret place” is not only to a physical room, but also to a spiritual door — to our minds, hearts, and souls — doors that desperately need shutting in today’s world.
He meets us in the places we refuse to rush out of, where we hear Him call us by name, and our eyes open afresh to who He really is.
Jesus entrusted Mary with a message heaven had been waiting to declare: “Go and tell my brethren…” (John 20:17). In a culture where women were often dismissed, Jesus honoured her as the first witness, the first messenger, the first disciple to proclaim the resurrection.
After appearing to Mary, Jesus appeared to His disciples with a command that echoes through time: “Go to Jerusalem and tarry until…” (Luke 24:49).
The call to wait has never expired. Waiting is still part of our journey.
Activation
During this Lenten period, choose to carve out moments to simply wait and look. Allow space for the Lord to encounter you. Allow Him to turn stillness into revelation. Experience the joy of hearing Him call out your name and saying, “Rabboni!”
If your soul is currently restless — perhaps struggling in a job, community, or relationship — God may be calling you back to the posture of waiting so that grace and strength can rise again.