“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:49 NKJV

Easter is over. Egg hunts are done, decorative bunnies are back in their boxes for next year, and chocolates are mostly gone. Our minds turn to gardens, school exams, graduations, weddings, and summer vacations.

So, what was Easter all about? 

Maybe you attended a spectacular Easter service with grand music in a soaring Gothic cathedral, or perhaps you sat with a faithful few on a wooden pew in a tiny country chapel. I’m hopeful you were in a church…it’s so important to be physically present with Christ’s body of believers whenever possible.

But, wherever you spent Easter, was it important to you? Did it have a genuine influence on your spiritual life? 

I’m trying to imagine the Monday after the first Easter. With the horror of Jesus’ death on Friday and a day of grief on Saturday, Sunday arrives with shocking news. The tomb is empty, and angels announce Jesus’ resurrection. He appears to Mary Magdalene and the other women who went to the tomb, He speaks with Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus, and He meets with His best friends/disciples (except for Thomas) that evening.

Now, it’s Monday. I’m sure the very air around the disciples is buzzing with questions. How did we miss Jesus’ promises about this moment? Will Jesus meet with us again? When will His Holy Spirit arrive? What do we do next?

Only one thing is certain. Their lives have been forever transformed, and they are left with a bewildered exuberance. Jesus is most definitely God, just as He said. He has defeated death and proved all His words are true.

But His disciples are in a holding pattern, unsure what happens next. They’re still afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus hasn’t yet ascended, but He’s not in person with them all the time either. When they ask Jesus if He will now restore the kingdom to Israel, Jesus probably shakes His head at their continued lack of understanding. He answers simply that it’s not for them to know God’s timing or seasons. 

Jesus does promise them, however, that the Holy Spirit’s power will come upon them and that they will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. And He has told them to stay put in the city, Jerusalem.* 

I can identify with Jesus’ friends in their tenuous situation. Easter has arrived, with its glorious news—and they can’t comprehend it. It’s too mind-boggling. For me, even after celebrating decades of Easters, I’m still astonished that Jesus has truly risen and is alive with me. 

I’m left bewildered, too. How do I continue to absorb the impact of Easter morning? What difference does it make in my day-to-day life?

The answer, I believe, is the same as in His command for His disciples…to stay firmly planted in faith, watching and waiting for what He will do in me through His Holy Spirit. And when He leads me, I need to go boldly forth to be His witness to a dying world.

It’s not easy to wait when we don’t have all the answers. Oh, how I identify with impulsive Peter! In John 21, Peter goes into default mode—he announces he’s going fishing, a handful of the other disciples go with him, and they don’t catch anything (sounds like my fishing record). 

What happens? Jesus meets them in their failure, turning it into a miracle catch with an object lesson—to teach His friends to be like Him, shepherds to feed His sheep. 

My friend, if you find yourself already forgetting Easter’s amazing revelation this week (as I frequently do) or wondering how to take the good news about Jesus’ resurrection to heart, fear not and fret not. As His disciple, He is not going to abandon you. Jesus will continue to meet with you, share communion with you, instruct you, pour out His Holy Spirit upon you, empower you, equip you, feed you, and send you. 

We have the evidence of this in Scripture in the way He continued to lead and guide His wayward disciples. The road where He leads us can be difficult, obstacle-filled, tedious, and dangerous. But if we follow Him, we can be guaranteed He will never leave us or abandon us in this journey.

This week, as Easter falls into our rearview mirrors, let’s continue to read our Lord’s incredible, age-old message of hope and deliverance in His word. And let’s strive to take His good news as He guides us toward those who need to hear. 

Let’s greet each morning with a whispered or shouted “Hallelujah!” Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Jesus, how I praise Your name for the miracle of Easter—for Your victory over death and the grave! I praise You with a joyful shout that You have saved me from my sins and have reserved a place for me at Your table in heaven! Please go with me this week to share that same blessing with others who need to hear Your good news. Lead me, teach me, equip me, empower me, feed me, and send me through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Make me more like You every single day. In Your mighty name, Amen. 

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom. 

© Copyright 2026 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #Jesus #easter #resurrection #disciple #HolySpirit #fishing #gospel

*For the full Easter-day stories, read Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20-21.