“Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, Mary said, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.
Jesus said to her, ‘Mary’”
She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means ‘Teacher’)
Testimony
I was there for a faceoff with God...to say to Him that I have tried but You were silent. Now I will die and it will be Your fault God. You ignored my cries....but God showed up and saved my life..... Read More...
When Jesus Speaks Your name!
by Peter Horrobin
John 20:15-16, NIV
After the crucifixion, the disciples and the close followers of Jesus waited till after the Sabbath and then, early on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb. But they were in for a shock. Jesus had gone! His body was no longer there. Mary was desperate. Where was He? Suddenly there was a stranger standing there. Maybe He could help, and thinking He must have been a gardener, the question burst out of Mary’s lips, “Where have you put Him?”
But this was no stranger! And Jesus didn’t need to answer her question. He simply looked at her and spoke her name, “Mary.” And that was all she needed. The sound of His voice said it all. She no longer needed an answer to the question about His body. When Jesus spoke her name she knew exactly who He was. He was alive!!! Risen from the dead, triumphant over death and hell and alive for evermore.
Mary had gone to the tomb to look for a dead Jesus. But instead of finding a corpse, she became the first person in history to speak to the newly raised from the dead, Son of God! Hearing the voice of Jesus, changed everything. The sound of her name, spoken by the lips of her Master, penetrated the very depths of her spirit in instant recognition. When Jesus speaks your name, your world can never be the same again.
Today there are many people who are looking in all the wrong places for answers to their questions about God. Maybe they are looking with their intellect for a historical figure and for the evidence of religion, but they are not looking with an open heart for the truth. With the intellect you will read the thoughts of men, whose minds are closed to the truth, but with your heart you will discover that, as with Mary, “the gardener” is always standing there, ready to speak your name and call you to Himself.
In Jeremiah 29:13 we have this wonderful promise from the Lord, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” On this glorious day, when we celebrate the resurrection of our Saviour, Jesus, don’t spend the day looking into an empty tomb wondering where Jesus is, but open your heart to Him and listen to the whispering of His voice, calling you by name. When you hear His voice calling you to Himself, it will change your life for ever.
Prayer: Thank You Lord Jesus, for living and dying for me. I rejoice today in Your resurrection life and open my heart afresh to You, my Lord and my God. With everything I am I choose to seek you with an open heart – I’m listening Lord for Your voice, my Shepherd, to guide and direct my steps all my days. In Your Name, I pray, Amen.
Peter Horrobin is the Founding and International Director of Ellel Ministries. The work was originally established in 1986 as a ministry of healing in the north-west of England, but today the work has spread round the world, with Ellel Centres in over thirty nations. Peter has been doing lots of writing recently, including the "Journey to Life" series which can be purchased online at sovereignworld.com.
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