Read: John 20:11–18
Mary had come to the tomb brokenhearted. Jesus had changed her life, freed her from darkness, and given her hope—and now He was gone. In her grief and confusion, the empty tomb felt like another loss stacked on top of the first. Surely his body had been taken away.
But as she wept, she heard a voice.
At first, she didn’t recognize it. The voice could have belonged to any man in the garden. But then He said her name, “Mary,” and everything changed. In that one word, spoken with love and familiarity, she knew. The risen Jesus was standing right in front of her!
Jesus could have made a triumphant return, drawing a crowd and delivering a victory speech. But instead, he met Mary personally and intimately in the middle of her pain. He knew what she needed most in that moment: to be seen. To be called by her name.
That’s how Jesus meets us in our pain, too.
There are moments when hope feels distant, when nothing makes sense, when your prayers feel like they’re going unanswered. But Jesus isn’t far off in those moments. He’s right there, speaking your name and waiting for you to turn and see Him. If you feel confused or overwhelmed, keep listening for Jesus. You may not recognize him right away, but he sees you. And when he speaks, you’ll know it.