If you have ever attended a funeral, you know that they are generally somber events. Even if it is a scenario where the loved one was ready to meet the Lord and looked forward to marching toward Heaven, it can still be bittersweet to those they leave behind. I have sat through enough choruses of “Amazing Grace” and “I’ll Fly Away” and homegoing services to understand the fact that even when parting means no more pain or suffering for them, it still does not seem like it could amount to any semblance of good here.

Let’s take a step back in time to one of the most gruesome, yet pointedly profound funerals of all time.

There was a death.

There was a tomb.

There was a resurrection.

It was sorrowful; it was gruesome and it did not make a bit of sense to those observing, but it was meant for good. The three days of waiting in silence were heavy, but it all served a greater purpose.

The grave made way for grace.

The cross ever continues teaching us valuable lessons. Where He was laid could not contain Him, because He did not belong there. He reigns on the throne where nothing- not your problems, worries, failures, or even death itself can have the victory.

You may feel buried, trapped, or lost. Perhaps there has been a death of what you thought your story would look like. But friend, if you let the Master do what He does best, it will all be better than you ever could imagine.

The goodness of the grave is that what was meant to bury the Savior, in turn, served as the greatest catalyst for new life. He is still rolling back stones. He still does what seems impossible. There is still beauty that rises from ashes. There can be purpose from your pain. There will be victory, and it will be right on time. I don’t know how, when, or why, but there is grace available for you, and glory to be revealed.

Your story is not over. There will be goodness from the grave.

Rachel is a lover of travel, nachos, and the gospel. She is a graduate of Urshan College and will most likely always call it Gateway. She recently graduated with her master’s degree in counseling and human services and is currently serving at The Pentecostals of Cooper City in South Florida.