Tomb Days and Faith

By Leslie Attong

Matthew 15:28 states: “Then Jesus answered, and said unto her O woman great is thy faith, be it done for you as you desire, and her daughter was healed instantly.”

Isn’t it awesome that Matthew 15:28 speaks directly to women and our faith, that through our faith what we desire is done for us? As we reflect on the Resurrection, we often reflect on the new hope, renewed faith, and all the positive aspects of the season.

But before the Resurrection, we have the dark, cold, lonely tomb. The tomb where we pray and lose hope. The tomb where we often think there’s no way out and wonder if our prayers are being heard. When we think of the Resurrection, we must talk of and accept the very real force of that dark tomb that precedes the triumph. Before the woman reached out to Jesus, she faced the dark tomb, the dark tomb of her daughter being ill and the feeling of despair that she must have felt. At first, the scripture states, that Jesus seems to refuse to help her – and I know we have all felt that way at times, like we are being refused help by Jesus. However, the woman did not lose faith. Instead, she kept her belief in the saving grace and in Jesus’ ability to heal her daughter.

We have all had those dark, cold tomb moments. Moments that stretch into days, weeks, months and even years, those empty tomb moments of depression, of despair, of not knowing if there is light at the end of the tunnel. Those times when no matter how much we pray, we feel that God doesn’t even want to give us the scraps off the table.

If we allow it, our tomb moments can be what defines our lives unless we make a concerted effort to reflect on the power of the Resurrection. The power of the love of God that rolls back that tombstone and brings us forward into the light that hope brings, is what our focus must be. The power of faith, of a faith that does not take no for an answer, of a faith that believes.

As Matthew 21:22 states, “And whatever you ask for in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

In this season of Easter, of renewal, of Resurrection, may our renewed faith last beyond the season.

May we acknowledge the joy of the Resurrection in our everyday lives and know, that even when we are in the tomb days of our life, God is always with us.

May God grant us the ability to see each day, as a day of Resurrection, of hope, of fulfilment and of favour.