Only those as mad as a hatter—or a hater—would have called that Friday “Good.”

For three years His enemies had plotted His demise trying to entrap Him with trick questions, paying off some to give false testimony against Him and even one of his best friends to betray Him. And so He was crucified.

Almost 2,000 years later the world is again desperate for hope as we too find ourselves like Jesus’ friends in a seemingly endless weekend—with the doors bolted shut, fearing for our very lives.

With the coronavirus killing tens of thousands worldwide and infecting hundreds of thousands more, few can see hope and a future—and those of us who claim we do are perceived as Pollyannas at best and peddlers in false hope at worst. But although we do not know when or exactly how the coronavirus outbreak will end, we already know it will. How do we know this? Because even—or I should say, especially—when the enemy seems insurmountable, the human spirit becomes indomitable.

Take World War II and Winston Churchill’s not-so-quiet confidence in declaring, “We shall never surrender” while 20th century Davids advanced on their own Goliath—launching the smallest of dinghies with the greatest of courage, saving more than 338,000 lives with Dunkirk Spirit. Or the heroes aboard Flight 93 who confronted with those hell-bent on terror, were heaven-bent on saving an untold number of lives even while sacrificing their own.

Although we do not have an advance copy of the story we’re living now, with this same cloud of witnesses, we do know this:

“With the courage of our doctors and nurses, with the skill of our scientists and innovators, with the determination of the American people, and with the grace of God, we will win this war. And when we achieve our victory—this victory, your victory—we will emerge stronger and more united than ever before.”

 

President Trump is right. There will come a tomorrow when we defeat this invisible enemy as we’ve vanquished others. Panic will be replaced with pride. And even grief will give way to gratitude—to the superheroes not adorned in capes but PPE. Doctors, nurses, first responders, food suppliers, factory workers, cashiers, clerks, mail carriers, neighbors, you and the President who made America great again making it even greater than ever before.

Just because evil and pain enter our stories doesn’t mean they are the story. It’s how the Author brings it all together in the end that counts. And spoiler alert: “I’ve read the back of the Book and we win.”

But don’t take my word for it. Ask those fearful and not so faithful 11 who thought Hell had gotten away with murder. Only to see Heaven smile and say, “He is risen.”

“…blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”