Like David, your sins have been burned up on the altar of the cross. That forgiveness wasn’t earned by your strength. You didn’t need to try to trick God into taking away your sins. You stand forgiven because the hand of the Lord fell on Jesus. It isn’t his death and burial alone that ends this epic. His tomb remains empty. He lives as the author of your eternal life. By faith in him you are counted among his children forever.

Through the water of your baptism and the power of God’s Word, He changed your route. The highway no longer takes you to the hell you deserve. And in this life you no longer wind your way through the self-serving twists and turns. The map doesn’t point to you. Thank the Lord for that! It points to him. He remains your true north now and always.

Jesus’ resurrection was not a witch bringing forth Samuel in the hidden recesses of a nighttime room. Jesus rose in broad daylight, from an empty tomb!