This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s Message: I Believe in the Resurrection (WATCH HERE)
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out.” — John 5:28–29
There are some voices we recognize immediately. A parent can pick out the cry of their child in a crowded room. A husband or wife knows the familiar sound of a spouse’s voice on the phone before a name is ever spoken. Even after years apart, a friend’s voice can instantly bring back memories.
There is one voice, however, that every person who has ever lived will one day hear—the voice of Jesus Christ.
In John 5, Jesus makes an astonishing promise. He says that a day is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out. Think about that for a moment. The same voice that spoke the universe into existence, that calmed the storm, that called Lazarus from his tomb after four days, will one day speak again. This time, every grave will surrender its dead.
For the believer, that is not a frightening promise but a comforting one.
When Jesus stood outside Lazarus’ tomb, He did not struggle against death. He simply commanded, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43). Death had no choice but to obey. That miracle was more than an act of compassion for one grieving family. It was a preview of what Christ will do for all who belong to Him on the Last Day.
Sometimes we speak of death as though it has the final word. We say someone “lost their battle” or that death “won.” Scripture tells a different story. Death is an enemy, but it is a defeated enemy. Christ has already won the victory through His cross and resurrection. Because He lives, the grave has become only a temporary resting place for His people.
This truth brings tremendous comfort when we mourn. We miss those who have died in faith. Their absence is real, and grief is never something to dismiss or rush through. Even Jesus wept at the tomb of His friend. Yet Christian grief is always accompanied by hope because we know the separation is temporary.
That hope also gives us courage as we face our own mortality. None of us knows how many days the Lord has appointed for us. We make plans, pursue goals, and enjoy the blessings God gives, but we also recognize that this life is not permanent. For the Christian, death is not a leap into the unknown. It is the doorway through which Christ brings us into His presence, and on the Last Day, He will raise us in glory.
Luther captured this confidence in the explanation to the Third Article of the Creed. He confessed, “On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.” Notice the personal nature of that confession. It is not merely that God raises the dead. He will raise me. The promise is personal because the Savior is personal. The Shepherd who knows His sheep by name will not forget a single one of them.
Perhaps today you are grieving someone you love. Perhaps you are facing health concerns that remind you of your own mortality. Hear again the words of Jesus: “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life” (John 5:24). Your future does not depend on the strength of your body or even the certainty of your emotions. It rests entirely on the promises of the One whose voice even death must obey.
One day, Christ will call your name. And because He lives, you will answer.
Reflect: How does knowing that Christ Himself will call believers from the grave bring comfort when you think about death? Who in your life needs the hope of Christ’s victory over death, and how might you share that hope with them?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for defeating death through Your resurrection. When I am afraid or when I grieve those I love, remind me that the grave is not the end of the story. Strengthen my faith in Your promises and fill me with confidence that one day I will hear Your voice and rise to everlasting life. Until that day, keep me faithful, trusting in You alone. Amen.