THE FRUIT OF DESOLATION

In recent weeks the Lord has been taking me through a process that began with my reading of John 20.

As I read it was as if I 'was' Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb to look for the Jesus she knew and loved. She found Him gone. Suddenly He allowed my heart to feel the desolation of that place, her despair, agony of heart, pain heaped upon pain. She had seen Him crucified, and now even His body was gone! He began to teach me about the place of DESOLATION and the FRUIT that comes from this place when He brings us to it.

First Mary ran to her friends. They came and looked, and far from sitting with her to seek comfort and help together, they ran off back home!

Mary did not leave the place where desolation had met her, instead she remained there weeping and crying out. She had no Plan B, and there was no business as usual for her. She stayed where she had last seen Him.

As she wept before the Lord, His heart was moved to comfort her and SUDDENLY she opened her eyes to find two angels where Jesus' body had been.

SHE HAD ANGELIC VISITATION IN HER PLACE OF DESOLATION.

She turned, and SAW THE RISEN JESUS CHRIST.

JESUS SPOKE TO HER AND GAVE HER INSTRUCTION of what to do next.

She then RAN FROM THE PLACE OF DESOLATION to her friends and was able to say to them "I have seen the Lord!"

The end result of Mary remaining was that she could say "I have seen the Lord" just as Isaiah did in Chapter 6, when he was desolate because King Uzziah had died. Isaiah also was able to say "I saw the Lord".

There is revelation of Christ to be found in the place of desolation as it is found nowhere else, if we will remain and not run from it. Mary's sorrow was out of her great love for Jesus even more than her thoughts for herself, she continued to lookf or Him in her distress. What did she find: His clothes! In the natural scheme of things there was nothing but a remnant and a memory, but as she stayed with that, Heaven saw and found her, spoke to her and led her forward!