I hope you had a very happy Easter. It was a great weekend here at The Ridge as we talked about how God continues to roll away the stones in our lives, just like He did that first Easter. A couple of weeks ago, a Ridger wrote a blog about this very thing. She had no idea that's what we were talking about this past weekend, and I found it incredibly encouraging to see how God was working in her life at the same moment we were preparing for this weekend. I'd like to share her blog with you as a reminder and encouragement to you. Take it away, Maylee! 

To the one who feels trapped in their grave: 

I’ve tried to schedule writing time this month and each time I do everything to avoid it because nothing clicks for me. Today I finally felt the Spirit lay something on my heart that I was receptive to, and the last few weeks clicked for me. 

Last week I was driving to work and jamming to my Jesus music, and one of my favorite songs from Elevation Worship, “RATTLE!” came on (by the way, I totally recommend this song). One specific set of lyrics hit really hard: 

“My God is able to save and deliver and heal and restore anything that He wants to
Just ask the man who was thrown on the bones of Elisha 
If there’s anything that He can’t do
Just ask the stone that was rolled at the tomb in the garden
What happens when God says to move?”
POWERFUL!!!! Am I right?

I was absolutely stopped in my tracks by that part of the bridge when normally I would just glaze over it. I love when God reveals something new to me through a song, so when it happened twice in less than two weeks, I was so moved, and knew that there was something special in this that God wanted to reveal to me. 

Last week at church we sang “House of the Lord” by Phil Wickham (again, another great playlist addition), and I felt God lay the same thing on my heart again through the lyrics: 

“We sing to the God who always makes a way
‘Cause He hung up on that cross
Then He rose up from that grave
My God’s still rolling stones away”

Again, I was frozen by what God reinforced through the Spirit. My mind automatically went back to the moment I had in the car last week, and I was moved to tears. 

I want my story to be a redemptive one. Doesn’t everyone? I see all of the ways that Jesus made people new in the Bible and how He’s still doing that today, and that’s what I want. But no matter how hard I try, I always end up reverting back to my sin and finding myself in that same pattern over and over and over again: a selfish, hurtful, embarrassing pattern of sin that I don’t want to have to admit I’m a part of, or much less admit that I’m the root of the problem. But here’s the really great thing, and the good news in all of my, and your, mess. 

Nobody could have moved that stone on their own. Not well-trained soldiers, not normal people, not the disciples…nobody. But God did. He took the heavy stone that was meant to keep redemption and revival in the grave and He moved it so that Jesus could walk free, towards His Heavenly Father, following the purpose laid before Him, and pursuing God so wholeheartedly. He did not do it in His own strength; He had to rely on God for that. 

So, when you’re in the grave, trapped by the sin, shame, weight, burdens, and earthly things that you cannot seem to lift off, the secret is that you can’t lift them off. You have to look to God who can move that stone away so that you can walk the same walk Jesus did as He left the tomb: victorious, free, graceful, humble, reliant on God, trusting in His plan, and pursuing Him 100%. 

Friend, He is still rolling stones away! Lean into God and who He is and watch the stone in front of your grave roll away when He says MOVE! You are not meant to live in the tomb. For goodness sake, that doesn’t even make sense! Let’s start asking God to move our stones instead of being content to sit in a dark, lonely tomb. Let’s make this week one of walking out of our tomb and towards freedom in Jesus!

Maylee B