"Waiting the Coming Day"

"Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior

Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord."

The opening lines of this well known hymn run through my mind as I contemplate Jesus' death. What must it have been like to be a follow of Jesus at this time. He had explained to them that He must die and that He would rise again. But they didn't, couldn't, understand. They were waiting the coming day to see what would happen. Jesus was waiting the coming day to reveal Himself risen.

As I was musing on this; I thought about how I am "waiting the coming day." Many changes are approaching in our life. Philip has received an invitation to be a visiting researcher at Walailak University in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. This will allow us to get the visas we need and remain in Thailand through the end of the year. God has opened this door to us, and it is exciting. However, Nakhon Si Thammarat is 800 kilometers (500 miles) away; we know no one there; we don't know how to move our stuff. God has a plan, but we don't understand it.

Now our waiting for God's plan to be revealed is not as dramatic as watching Jesus laid in the tomb and awaiting His resurrection. But it does remind me that God's plans are wonderful and beyond my imagination. Jesus had clearly explained to His disciples that He would rise again. The only reason they didn't comprehend was that they couldn't imagine such an event was possible. In my case, I need to leave all the possibilities open to God and let Him reveal His wonderful, perfect plan. In the meantime, I ponder the wonder of the cross and "serve a living Savior!"