On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.

~Luke 24:1 NIV

“Your luggage is in Houston,” the Pensacola airline representative said.

The Broken Promise

I did not want to hear those words. I was headed to a writer’s conference in Florida, where attendees are expected to appear professional and businesslike. The attendant informed me they would hire a courier to deliver my luggage to the retreat center.

I clicked on the tracking link first thing the following day. The location dot showed the luggage had made it to the Pensacola airport. They promised delivery at 5:30 p.m. Every chance I got, I refreshed the tracking, but the dot remained at the airport.

Later that afternoon, I called the airlines, but they said they had closed the case. (Maybe for them, but not for me.) The clock ticked closer to the promised time, but the dot did not move. My patience evaporated. My confidence in the courier and airline wavered, and my belief in the promised delivery time plummeted. Finally, the courier called and said she had the luggage and was on the way. I received my luggage later that evening.

The airline didn’t keep its promise to deliver the luggage on the same flight as me or within the promised delivery time.

Even though Jesus had promised to rise from the dead, Mary and the women came to the tomb with burial spices. While the sun had yet to peek over the horizon, an open tomb and a heavenly angel greeted the women: “He is not here, but he has risen” (Luke 24:6).

The Kept Promise

The heavenly being reminded the women that Jesus had spoken of this future event. Jesus said He would be buried and raised on the third day, yet uncertainty clouded His followers’ thoughts.

The women raced to the disciples and told them all they had seen and heard. The disciples thought it nonsense, but the words and images tumbled in Peter’s mind. He, too, wanted to witness this empty tomb. After seeing only linen cloths, Peter walked away perplexed.

A dead body raised from the dead? Didn’t Jesus say He would rise again in three days? Could the impossible become possible?

The disciples’ and women’s finite minds had yet to catch up with their infinite God. Many prophets had foretold that Jesus would rise from the dead (Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 53:10), and God kept His promise.

Airlines can’t always keep their promises. Friends and family won’t. We won’t. But God backs His promises by His unfailing word and trustworthy character. We can know He will always do what He says.

What happened to those burial spices Mary brought to the tomb? Luke doesn’t mention them again because the women didn’t need them. A resurrection had occurred. God kept His promise.

Never doubt that God will keep His promises to you. 

Father, I confess I don’t always believe Your word. I offer You my unbelief. Remind me today that You are a promise-keeping God. Amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2025: A Promise Kept: Sally Cressman: All Rights Reserved