(Read Psalm 84)
Chances are, you’re reading this devotional on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. For some, Holy Saturday marks the time Jesus’ body lay in the tomb—a day of silence, waiting, and reflection. For others, it’s a day suspended between the pain of the cross and the glory of resurrection—a quiet space nestled between sorrow and hope.
This weekend holds extremes: sacrifice and fulfillment. In the beginning in Genesis, neither sacrificial offerings nor covenant fulfillments were necessary. Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed, walking freely with God in the Garden. No altars. No offerings. No need for Jesus to provide substitutionary atonement—yet.
But we messed up. We took matters into our own hands, breaking the one rule God gave us. One rule! That choice fractured the relationship. Sin entered. Death followed. Ever since, we’ve tried to appease God with offerings and good behavior—efforts that fall short of healing the separation.
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
—Genesis 3:15
This verse, often called the “protoevangelium” or “first gospel,” is the first promise of a Savior who would defeat evil. As someone who’s not a fan of snakes, the image of Jesus crushing its head is oddly comforting. But the bigger truth is that until that time, evil didn’t exist in our world. God was perfectly satisfied with us. We met God openly and directly, not through offerings.
In the very moment humanity fell, God’s grace broke in with a promise. Genesis 3:15 is not just a verse about judgment; it’s soaked in mercy. As God spoke to the serpent, He laid out a divine plan of an impending conflict between the offspring of the woman and the enemy of our souls. It remains the first whisper of the Gospel in the Bible. Before there were laws and prophets, there was a promise that evil would not have the final word.
Unfortunately, redemption came with consequences. Since the fall, humanity has spent thousands of years offering God substitutes—well-intended but insufficient. Only one offering would ever be enough. Only one person could bridge the divide.
“Blessed and greatly favored are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence;
They will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah.”
—Psalm 84:4
To be “blessed and highly favored” isn’t about prosperity or comfort but proximity. Those who dwell in God’s presence live in worship, not just on Sundays but in the quiet places of everyday life. Blessing isn’t what we have; it’s where we are—with God. In today’s “what have you done for me lately” culture, Psalm 84 flips the script. Being blessed doesn’t mean feeling good all the time. It means walking in grace and alignment with God’s purpose. “Highly favored” suggests being chosen for something bigger than ourselves. God’s blessing is the intimate, daily awareness that He is near and for us.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
—Ephesians 1:3
There’s a tall, bigger-than-life gentleman in our neighborhood who regularly walks his dog, “King,” by our house. Each time I ask how he’s doing, he says, “Blessed and highly favored.” I’d never heard that phrase until we moved here, but now I hear it often, and I love it. It says so much more than, “I’m fine.” It’s a quiet declaration of gratitude, of knowing that whatever’s going on, God’s still got you.
The phrase is widespread in the South, particularly in Bible Belt church communities. It’s a statement of faith. It doesn’t mean life is perfect; it means you trust God through the imperfect. Along these lines, In his letter, Paul reminded the Ephesians that every spiritual blessing we have comes through Christ’s grace, forgiveness, purpose, and presence. He wrote that God chose us before the foundation of the world. His love came first, not because of who we are but because of who He is.
So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the Lord had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money* and a gold ring.
So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
Job 42:9-15
I’ve always loved Job’s encounter with God. There’s raw honesty and even humor in it. God pushes Job hard. Job bends—but never breaks. He tunes out the bad advice from his wife and friends and holds firm to the foundation of his faith in God. And when Job finally confronts God, God responds with power, majesty, and mercy. He reminds Job: I created everything with a breath. You’re dust. Yet you matter to Me. Through it all, Job never let go of the relationship, and God restored him completely.
Chuck Swindoll once wrote:
“‘The LORD blessed’ are words of grace—statements of divine favor. Let them hit with full impact: Accepted. Restored. Increased. Blessed.”
This week, I lost a dear friend to cancer. She was one of the kindest, most generous souls I’ve ever met. Years ago, her husband died in a car crash only two weeks after their second daughter was born. Later, she battled a chronic autoimmune disease, living on prednisone for years. And yet—she never complained. I never heard a bitter word from her lips. She was forgiving, unassuming, and full of grace. She was also one of the best anglers I’ve ever seen with rubber worms. But If anyone lived out “blessed and highly favored,” it was her—not because her life was easy, because it wasn’t, but rather God’s presence was near her and never left her.
And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
Luke 1:28-29
The Greek word for “highly favored” (kecharitōmenē) is rooted in charis—grace. Mary was chosen not because she was accomplished, but because God extended unmerited favor. Her cousin Elizabeth later said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!”
Mary’s life wasn’t easy. Her calling brought challenge, heartache, and uncertainty. And still, she was called blessed, chosen, and favored. That’s what grace does.
What does all this have to do with Easter?
Around our house, we often see Killdeer—small, perpetually busy, ground-nesting birds with long legs. If you get too close to their nests, the mothers will fake a broken wing and flail around, drawing danger away from their young. When on their backs, they also exhibit red-colored feathers at the base layer, so you get the impression of a seriously wounded bird. It’s dramatic and beautiful in its simplicity and symbolism. And it’s an unforgettable picture of self-sacrifice.
Today (Saturday), we sit in the tension between Christ’s gruesome death on the cross and the perfection of the empty tomb—between agony and glory. The cross is the payment; the tomb is the receipt. One proves the debt was paid, the other proves it was accepted.
A friend once said, “The cross symbolizes my salvation. It’s something I can’t do on my own. The empty tomb proves the work Christ did for my salvation.”
The cross is evidence of God’s grace and mercy. It paid a debt we could never pay. Christ paid it in full and closed the account. The empty tomb ratified Jesus’ promise. His absence from the grave is undeniable proof that all of His claims were true, including that He is who He said He is. If Jesus had disappeared or gone into hiding, He might be remembered as a good man, a faith healer, or a prophet. But the empty tomb demonstrates so much more. It is the foundation of our faith. Proof isn’t just meant to sway an opinion but to confirm a fact.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
—Luke 23:34
At the most critical moment of His earthly life, Jesus experienced the weight of separation from God as He bore the full burden of our sin. Just moments from His final breath, He cried out a prayer of mercy, offering forgiveness to His executioners. God extending grace to the undeserving captures the heart of the gospel. Jesus did not curse His killers. He interceded for them. He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12, which foretold that the Messiah would “make intercession for the transgressors.”
Billy Graham once said:
“72,000 angels pulled their swords, ready to come rescue Him. [But] Jesus said, ‘No. I’m doing it because I love them.’”
Easter weekend traditionally revolves around Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection. Favor and blessing in Scripture often include suffering, growth, and reliance on God’s strength. God is never caught off guard. Even in our worst failures, He is already at work with a restoration plan. Jesus—the seed of the woman—fulfilled this promise. His heel was bruised at the cross, but the serpent’s head was crushed in His resurrection.
We could never adequately satisfy Jesus’ sacrifice. Christ left us with the mark of the empty tomb to witness the completed work of His promise. The battle was decided in Eden long ago, and the victory was sealed at Calvary, where God extended grace to the undeserving next to Him and to all of us. We are Blessed and highly favored.
Key Applications:
- Talk to God. Be honest. Be direct. He already knows what’s on your mind.
- Read Psalm 84. Reflect on what it really means to be “blessed and highly favored.”
- Live in the in-between. Let the cross remind you of mercy, and the tomb assure you of victory.