I TOLD YOU SO...

I've been a believer for a long, long time – practically all of my life – (over 50 years for those of you who are counting…and stop counting!)

And sometimes, a *seasoned* believer can think that there's nothing new under the sun. The Bible stories are very familiar, the characters are like old friends, doctrine is solid – and though we might not think we know it all, we may think we've heard it all.

But – and I just love this – God still has a way of surprising us.

You see, I truly believe that the Word of God is the WORD of God.  It is a living thing, full of God's inspired words.  And there is always something new to hear…

So, a few weeks ago, it was Easter Sunday.

A blessed day, a day of celebration indeed.

And I was expecting to hear the familiar story about the resurrection.  Notice I said *familiar* – as in, I love the story but I've heard it so often that I could probably recite it myself.

Except for this Resurrection Sunday.

For one thing, our pastor gave a message that was innovative, refreshing, inspiring.  Instead of telling us about the empty tomb, he told us what God had said to him from the empty tomb.

It was powerful.

But, the thing that really, really hit me – and the thing that I am still pondering – is something I heard in Scripture.  Something leaped off the page, and spoke…

Let me quote it here, with the part that spoke to me underlined:

"He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen." (Matthew 28:6, NLT)


What struck me is this – Jesus did what He said He would do.

He fulfilled His own prophecy.

You see, for centuries, the prophets had made many predictions about the coming Messiah.  And, when Jesus arrived, He fulfilled every single one of them.

That is nothing short of amazing.

But, Jesus also made a prediction.  He predicted His own death – and He foretold His Resurrection.

And that prophecy came true, too.

That is nothing short of a miracle.

But it was the phrase – "just as he said he would" – that reverberated in my soul.

If Jesus said He would rise from the dead – if He promised it would happen, AND IT DID – then we can believe EVERY SINGLE PROMISE He ever made!

For some reason, this is what hit me like a lightning bolt.

Jesus said it – it happened.

Jesus rose from the dead – JUST. AS. HE. SAID. HE. WOULD.

This excites me as I think about it.

If the craziest, most improbable, most extraordinarily supernatural thing actually happened – then Jesus will do everything else He predicted and promised for us!


So, what else did He promise?

What else will surely happen?


Nothing will ever separate us from the love of God!

He will never leave us or forsake us!

We will never die – we will conquer death through His LIFE!

He is preparing a place for us!

We will inherit the Kingdom of God as His children!

One day, we will see Him again face to face!

We will live in His Presence forever!


Think of it!

Think of everything that Jesus said about us, everything He said to us.  Every prediction, every promise.

It is ALL. GOING. TO. COME. TRUE!

Yes, of course, I have always believed these promises.  But, for some reason, this Resurrection Sunday they all sounded fresh and new to me.  It was as if I heard Jesus say them *personally* to me.

They came alive – as I experienced the weight and glory of His resurrection more powerfully than ever before.


I felt like one of the two on the road to Emmaus, seeing Him for the first time after the resurrection.

Sometimes we have to read between the lines of Scripture, and feel the excitement, the amazement of the moment.

And I wonder if it was all as hushed and somber as it sometimes feels to me.  I wonder if our Lord might have said, with a twinkle in His eye:

"I told you we would meet again!"

And maybe, just possibly, He grinned from ear-to-ear for a moment before He disappeared.


"Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'" (Luke 24:31-32)


I'll tell you what – MY heart is burning within me!

And one day, when all the predictions and promises have come true, and I see the Lord Jesus, my precious Savior, face-to-face…

He might just say to me, with a twinkle in His eye…

"I told you so!!"


Praise the Risen Lord!

HE SAID IT.

I BELIEVE IT.

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

They will see his face... 

What is one promise that comes alive for you today?


Linked today with:

Joan at SHARING HIS BEAUTY
Michelle at HEAR IT ON SUNDAY, USE IT ON MONDAY
Pamela at A SHELTERING TREE
Tracy at WINSOME WEDNESDAY
Charlotte at SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"