Jesus My Lord, My Hope, My Peace 

By Paule Dasse

Accra, Ghana 

Scripture: John 20: 11-18

Mary Magdalene was a woman following Jesus with all her heart and passion in gratitude for what He had done for her. Yet here she was crying and sad. What happened?

Sometimes things do not happen the way we want or plan. For Mary Magdalene, Jesus was her Messiah, her Lord, her Saviour, and her hope. Her devotion to Jesus led her to the place of His burial. Jesus' death was a big loss for her. She was disappointed, confused, and beaten down. She started to fret to the point of crying. She lost hope as she wondered what the plan would be for the future and she cried, “Where have they taken my Lord?”  She had no idea what her life would be like going forward. Her heart was not at peace. She felt she had lost the most important person in her world - Jesus Christ, her Master, her Lord.  

Though Jesus stood right beside her, Mary failed to recognize Him because she was crying.  We, too, sometimes fail to recognize Jesus in the midst of our challenges. We forget that Jesus is with us. 

We can be like Mary Magdalene when what we expect does not happen the way we are thinking. Indeed, many things often do not happen as we wish. We get worried and we feel lost. Mary was lost to the point of not recognizing Jesus when He spoke to her. 

I can relate to Mary Magdalene and her disappointment as I began the year 2021 with so much hope and plans for the year. Like many of you at the beginning of every year, I made plans, assessments and projects full of hope for the New Year. I had plans to celebrate 30 years of being a disciple.  But even from the start, nothing went as planned.  

In January, every member of my family tested positive for COVID-19. My husband’s condition was so severe that he had to be admitted in hospital. Thinking he would be there for just three days, he ended up staying for two months and had to be on oxygen for a period of three months. On three occasions he nearly died. This was a very difficult situation for me. We had moved to Ghana in the past year with so much hope and so many plans. Yet at this point, I was in so much pain and had so many questions in my mind.  I thought I was going to lose my dear husband, the loving father of my children and my partner in the mission. 

The thoughts that ran through my mind were: “What about our plans? Our projects? Our children? The church?”  I cried like Mary Magdalene. I was lost, but I remembered that God was with me. I prayed and reconnected with Christ and felt His presence. The resurrection was in the plan even before the birth of Christ, and He is alive to give us hope that, whatever we face in life, He will be with us and we will overcome it - just as He resurrected. God worked in an amazing way and gave me hope at the end of it all. Today my husband is doing well and we continue to work according to God’s plan for our mission.

Are you in a situation that makes you feel lost? Are you afraid?  Have you lost hope?  Have you been crying?  It is time to reconnect. Even when the situation seems negative and you see no light at the end of the tunnel, remember that Jesus--your hope, your love, and your peace--is with you. He will work through His own plan for your good. 

When Jesus called Mary Magdalene and she finally recognized Him, she exclaimed “Rabonni!” and reconnected to Him. Her hope, her joy and commitment were back. She could not help but to run and share the good news with the disciples. Like Mary, I want to dream again and proclaim the good news to everyone. I want to tell people what Jesus has done in my life and be more committed to Him. 

What started as a sad and negative situation, Jesus has turned into life, into hope, into joy for me and my heart is at peace. 

Philippians 4:4-7

In this passage, God encourages us that He is near and thus we should not be anxious about anything. Things will not always be as smooth as we want or go according to our plans, but when we hope, pray and petition God, we will have peace. 

When we moved to Accra, Ghana, I had so many questions and concerns: “We don’t speak the language.” “It’s a different culture.” But to our joy, it is here in Ghana that my children David and Hannah became disciples and I give glory to God for that. That gives me the peace of God beyond my own understanding. I have nothing to worry about because God who sent me here will take care of my needs. 

During challenging times when we do not hear Jesus' voice it is because we are not calm – “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). When things do not go the way we plan, we must listen to Jesus’ voice. His voice will give us hope. It could be in our ministry, our job, our marriage, our parenting, or challenges as a single woman.  

There will always be challenging situations in our lives.  Some will be very difficult, but Jesus says do not be anxious. He will be with us. I have faced so many challenges in my life. In the early years of my marriage, I was having difficulty in getting pregnant and I was declared sterile by the doctors, but my hope continued to be in my Lord. And today God has blessed us with four children. Earlier, when my husband and I went on the mission to Senegal, it was difficult because the country is predominantly Muslim. However, we were able to do our mission and people got baptized. Today the church is still standing in Senegal. In very difficult times I have always received the peace of God.  

What about you? What is the difficult situation you are going through? It may be so difficult that you do not understand, and you may even say to yourself, “This is not God.” Mary Magdalene thought Jesus was the gardener. Even in those times, remember that Jesus is definitely with you. Stay calm and open your eyes and your heart. 

I thank all my sisters all over the world and especially the sisters in Accra, Ghana, for all your prayers. I pray that, like Mary Magdalene, we will continue to make Jesus our Lord—the One who is able to give us hope and peace. 

Questions for Reflection:

1.      How do you react when things are not going the way you planned them to go? 

2.      What are the things that can cause you to lose hope? Your ministry? Family? Health? Your job? Something else?

3.      Write three challenges that you need to overcome in order to reconnect and renew your commitment to God. Discuss with a friend who you can pray with and who can keep you accountable.