“Last night,” Stan began, “while I was working on next week’s lesson for my Bible study class, I pulled a book off the shelf, one I had not looked at for some time.”
Continuing, he added, “In that book was a note I had used as a bookmark. The note was from a dear friend who has now boarded the train for glory. The note was one of encouragement for something I was going through at the time.”
“This friend,” he added, “was one the most positive people I have ever known. A dear, humble, and committed believer. I miss him a lot and look forward to seeing him on the other side.”
“Good friends are precious,” I commented.
“Yes, indeed,” Stan replied. “And you know what? It just occurred to me that I should have that note framed with his favorite saying. I’m going to do that and hang it on the wall above my desk as a reminder of him and his attitude.”
“What was his favorite saying?” I asked.
“It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming,” Stan replied. “That was not original with him, but it was, I think, from a sermon about Easter he had heard once. He loved that message and he loved Easter.”
“Easter,” I said, “is a very special day as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior!”
“Absolutely!” Stan replied. “And whenever my friend was around anyone who was talking about how the world seems to be getting darker with all of the stuff that’s going on, he would say something like, ‘Let’s focus on the positive. It may be Friday and things look dark, but remember that Sunday’s coming and that’s the day for the resurrection of our Lord!’”
“The darkness of Friday afternoon,” I replied, “stands in stark contrast to the brightness of Resurrection Sunday.”
“You’re right about that, my friend,” Stan responded. “And I need to constantly focus on the resurrection life in me and not get dragged down by the darkness of the world.”
“The world,” he concluded, “wants me to focus on Friday’s darkness, and there is a lot of that, but I choose to focus on the bright light of that wonderful Sunday morning!”
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Bible verses to consider:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3.
He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Matthew 28:6.
I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12.
You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for Resurrection Sunday. Thank you for what the brightness of that morning did to overcome the darkness that seemed so prevalent on Friday afternoon. I confess that too often I focus on the darkness rather than on the light. Please help me to not get dragged down into the pit of focusing on the darkness rather than on the light of Christ that does away with all darkness. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in His precious name. Amen.
Think on this: Do you have the assurance of salvation by having accepted God’s provision of redemption and salvation through the light He sent into the world? If not, why? Without that light, the darkness of the world can be overwhelming. Even with the light of Christ guiding us, it is easy to get dragged down by the seemingly-endless darkness of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Do you find that you are affected by that more than you would like? If so, why? The solution is to focus, not on the darkness of Friday afternoon, but on the bright light of Easter morning!
Waiting for the Train 