Doing the Next Thing

Mark 16:5-7 ESV: And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.  And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”

Doing the next thing can be so hard to do.

Who of us hasn’t experienced times when our pain and questions were so intense that it was hard to see past the fog? The women who were on their way to the tomb must have been in such a state.

On the way to the tomb, they wondered about the stone. Their problem – unknown to them – was solved. The door to the tomb stood open, unleashing His invincible power to all believers!

Yet the words, “See . . . Go, . . . tell . . . He is going ahead of you,” was lost on their ears.

The women were instructed: Go and tell. Success was assured. The angel spoke: “He is going ahead of you.”

Obviously, they saw the empty tomb. They went as instructed.

Yet they did not tell.

Scripture informs us that they were “trembling and bewildered” and “said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” (v. 8)

I’ve been there. Paralyzed by fear. Immobilized by worry. Stagnated by anxiety. Unwilling to really believe that He actually is going before me. Sure, I know it in my head, but I can’t move beyond that point. Later, I wonder how I became so incapacitated. Yet at the time, it’s hard to put one foot in front of the other. I just want to hibernate and hide.

It is often our fear that causes us to fail in doing the next thing.  

Sometimes God asks something small of us –  and sometimes what He asks is huge. Our fear and pain immobilizes us. We cannot decide what to do next. In other situations, we are not willing to do what is required of us.

What was true for the women then is true for us today. Jesus is going before us. The same power that raised Him from the dead and moved the stone for all the world to see is ours today.

Doing the next thing can be so difficult when we worry about who is going to roll back the stone. We forget that He has already unleashed that power to us!

When we walk in His power and presence, then and only then, can we do the next thing.

What is the next thing that He is asking you to do?

Take the next step forward. Do the next thing.

Note and Credits

This is a repost from eight years ago.

Photo credits:  Chickadee – Ken Ruhl.  Light photo – Aaron Slabach. Other photos: Pixabay.com.