Hope Resurrected

March 2026

This month I had the privilege of joining six other writers in creating a 7-day devotional series called, Seen. Known. Loved. – Seven Encounters with Jesus. This free resource is available until April 6, and we pray it’ll be an encouragement to you as we approach Easter. When you sign up, you’ll receive seven days of devotions delivered to your email address. (You’ll also be added to the email lists of each author. You can unsubscribe at any time.)

Here is the devotion I wrote. I hope it's an encouragement. 
Blessings,
-Joanna

Don’t Cry, Beloved

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” –Philippians 3:10–11 (NIV)

Have you faced a moment in life when all seemed lost? I have. It happens to all of us at some point. The diagnosis. The accident. The phone call. When life as we know it is shattered and all we’re left with is tears and pain.

Women through the ages have experienced moments like these. In Jesus’s day there was one woman whose story always tugs at my heart.

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” (Luke 7:11–16 NIV)

The woman’s name is not given. The only details we know about her are her losses. She was a widow, so she had already lost her husband. She had only one son, which could mean she had lost other children along the way. Then her son died. On top of that tragic loss, her provision for the present and her hope for the future also died with him. In that culture, she was likely left with no one to support her.

We don’t know if this woman had even heard of Jesus before this day. We know that she didn’t seek Jesus out. She didn’t even acknowledge Him verbally in this account when He appeared on the scene. She was most likely wrapped in a fog of grief and despair.

And that’s where Jesus met her. I love that He said to her, “Don’t cry.” We know from John 11 that Jesus wept at Lazarus’s tomb before raising him from the dead, so it wasn’t that Jesus thought tears aren’t appropriate. In this moment, I think He intended to communicate so much through those simple words:

You are seen.
You are loved.
This is not the end.
I am greater than death and despair.

This story reminds us that while we may experience tragedy, with Jesus our stories do not have a tragic ending. Because Jesus can raise the dead—dead hopes, dead dreams, dead hearts. He can resurrect all this and more! He can give us a future and a hope once again.

Paul wrote about living in the power of Jesus’s resurrection. As we know Jesus better, we learn more of His resurrection power. And it’s in suffering that we come to know Jesus more deeply and intimately. Suffering isn’t the end—it’s the beginning of more resurrection power in our lives.

So when all seems lost, I pray you’ll hear Jesus’s gentle words bringing hope once again. “Don’t cry, beloved. I am the resurrection and the life. Hold my hand, rest in my love, and watch me bring new life after death.”

Reflection: What’s one way you can see Jesus’s resurrection power at work in your life today? What is God speaking to you right now?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for seeing us, understanding our pain, and loving us in our brokenness. Help us to draw near to you and share the fellowship of your suffering—that we might also experience the power of your resurrection! Give us eyes of faith to see how you are restoring things in our lives day by day. We love you and praise you! Amen.