So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 ESV

     Jesus was crucified and buried in a tomb three days. However, it couldn’t keep Him bound. Light pushed through the dark. Linen wrappings were left undisturbed. Hope is alive.

Easter remembrances had passed, but as I studied my passages for the day, I circled back. Three days.

Saul had once persecuted Christians, the believers and followers of Jesus. He’d breathed threats against them and hunted them down. But on a road to Damascus, God got his attention. Three days Saul was blind and couldn’t eat or drink. But he hears. The scales fall from his eyes. He sees. While on a road called “Straight,” Saul is saved, and he begins to preach the gospel. Radical transformation occurred. (Acts 9: 1-25)

The sons of Israel were desperate as they searched for water three days. (Exodus 15:22)

God directed Joshua and Israel to camp three days before they crossed the Jordon River. Wait. Rest. Move. Then God heaped back the waters and made a way to pass through—to go beyond the river. Their story didn’t end at the water’s edge. The promised Land was on the other side. God wanted them to go in and possess the land. (Joshua 3,4)

Rahab, a harlot, hung a scarlet cord in her window and sent God’s messengers into the hill country to hide. She clung to hope for three days. Rahab and her family were saved when the walls of Jericho crumbled; and, she became part of Jesus’ lineage. (Joshua 3, 4)

Three days in a tomb. Resurrection. Three days blinded. Hearing is fine-tuned. Sight restored. Straight road. Salvation understood. Three days thirsty. Revival. Three days a cord secured hope. Rescue and redemption. Messengers hid. Walls crumbled. Generations were saved. Three days.

What keeps you bound?

Who is your Hope?

Where is God calling you to step forward?

Three days. I was challenged to fast from the activities that disturb and distract me. I let go. Near the end of the third day, as I circled our pond, the ruckus of two angry ospreys chasing a bald eagle, caught my attention. The eagle had something in its mouth, but it dropped midway over the water. Then the eagle circled and swooped down over the deep to retrieve his dinner. Although, I’m not sure he was successful.

No matter. The powerful vision left me awestruck. I had turned. Rested. Listened. Waited.
Freedom’s flight. Three days had made a difference. God’s resurrection power is for us!

     Open your heart to what God wants you to see and hear. Obey His voice. Radical change is possible.

Be blessed,

Lily Mae

Side note:
The following day I woke in the wee hours of the night, and I couldn’t go back to sleep. Coffee won. The hazy, gray globe rose as I clicked away on my computer, and I recorded my thoughts of the previous day. Then I happened to glance outside at my sheltering willow. Another eagle sat ready to pounce on its prey. For another thirty minutes I was captivated.