Evelyn Wells has a passion to glorify God by writing devotional material and creative nonfiction. She is a regular contributor to Refresh Bible Study Magazine, and she has contributed to the compilations, Breaking the Chains: Strategies for Overcoming Spiritual Bondage, and Heart Renovation: A Construction Guide to Godly Character. She has also contributed to Let the Earth Rejoice (Worthy Inspired) and Just Breathe (Worthy/Ellie Claire). She recently won First Place in the Verse Study Contest at the 2018 Enrich Conference. She lives in North Georgia near her children and grandson. She is a contributor to “VineWords Devotions and More,” writing devotions and a twice-monthly Bible study.
Our Heavenly Father wants to spend time with us, and He wants us to enjoy spending time with Him. He delights in us, and He always has time for us. He is never too busy. Like a loving Father, God is available whenever His children need Him and when we just want to enjoy His company.
As I spend time early in the morning praying and studying Scripture, I feel myself growing closer to God. He opens the Scriptures and often shows me facets of verses I have not noticed before. I am learning so much as I sit at His feet. These early morning times with God are so special to me. As I loved being with my daddy as a child, I love being in the presence of my Abba Father.
God uses those times as teaching moments. I am learning that when battles come, and they will, to stand strong as He fights for me. Those are the times to lean on Him and not depend upon myself. Sometimes God lets us dwell in our valleys for a season. We learn to trust Him better there.
The more time I spend with my Father, the more I learn to discern His direction for my life. I am learning to enjoy Jesus more and getting to know Him better, as I immerse myself in Bible study and prayer. I never grow tired of studying His word and of surrounding myself with fellow believers. The Holy Spirit is showing me daily how to be more deliberate in sharing His love and encouragement, so others will be drawn to Jesus.
When I asked Jesus into my heart when I was a child, I began a lifelong journey. At the time I did not realize how exciting it would be. Since then, God has led me, walked beside me, pushed me along, and sometimes carried me in His arms. I learned at an early age that I could depend on Him.
God, my Father, has continued to bless me in so many ways, especially with His constant presence in my life. In addition to being my Savior and Lord, He has also proven to be my Encourager, my Protector, and my Sustainer.
Each of us has a unique history with our Heavenly Father who is faithful and true. Join me now in giving thanks to Him for His love, mercy, and grace.
Three women — Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James), and Salome — were the first to arrive at Jesus’s tomb. They hoped to find someone to roll the stone away so they could enter and anoint Jesus’s body with the spices they had bought, as an expression of their love and devotion for Him.
What a shock they must have had when they arrived and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb, and then learned that Jesus’s body was no longer there! An angel, who appeared as a young man, was dressed in a white robe and sat on the stone that had been rolled back (
Matthew 28:2
Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
). The women must have been even more bewildered to hear his words.
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
Mark 16:6-7
but the angel said, "Don't be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth,* who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died."
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
(NIV)
Though Jesus had talked to His disciples about His impending death and resurrection, there is no record of Him telling this news to the women. They had witnessed His crucifixion, according to
Mark 15:40
They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem were also there.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
. And now they were being told that Jesus had risen and was no longer in the tomb. The women fled from the tomb because they were afraid and confused. And they were grieving.
Grief can be paralyzing, but often we want to run away from the things in our lives which are confusing and fearful to us — just like these three women did. Sometimes we have no idea how to deal with unexpected or tragic situations. We don’t know how to solve them, or even how to experience closure. We do know that life is uncertain and throws us unexpected curves; sometimes we face tragedy and loss, and grief is a natural process that we have to negotiate.
My dad passed away unexpectedly when I was in my early 20s. I was devastated and felt like running away from the news that the rock of our family was gone. Daddy had made me feel secure, just knowing he was a phone call away. All of a sudden, I felt like I was living in a nightmare.
As the nightmare faded, the natural process of grief took place, and I was left with beautiful memories. I also embraced the fact that I’ll see Daddy again in eternity, because he was a strong believer during his time on earth. While I had previously viewed him as the rock of my family, I came to realize that the true rock is Jesus. He is our security, and He is just a prayer away.
