Ten years ago, when I was a senior at Oak Hill Academy, I thought I would never attend a Christian university. But because I was young in the faith, I decided that I needed to grow. So I enrolled in a Christian university where I could grow in my knowledge of God and study the Scriptures.

Liberty University holds chapel services three times a week. I didn’t always pay attention in chapel, but I remember one particular meeting just before Easter break. Dr. Gary Habermas stood in front of thousands of students to present the historical evidence for the resurrection.

After presenting a convincing argument for our faith in the bodily resurrection, he shared a personal story of how the resurrection of Jesus got him through one of the most difficult times in his own life. Habermas told us:

"I’ll never forget the day after Easter, when I received the shocking news from my doctor, “Your wife has stomach cancer.” That’s arguably the worse kind of cancer you can get. So I called a close friend and asked him to take my four children out of school and tell them that their mother has stomach cancer. Weeks later, I sat on my porch as Debbie was sleeping. She had a tube coming out of her stomach and I had to feed her through the tube three times a day. As Debbie slept, I sat on the porch and had my conversation with God, similar to that of Job in the Old Testament. I prayed, “Come on, God, she’s only 43 years old and she’s up there dying. Lord, she is the mother of my children. She is my closest friend. Let her live"

Even in the midst of his disappointment, Habermas knew that God shared his pain. “I felt like God had said, ‘I know what you mean Gary, I understand your hurt,” Habermas explained. “’I watched my Son die. I saw every whip lash. I watched him asphyxiate. Do you expect better than my Son received? But Gary, I raised him from the dead and I also will raise Debbie.’” Habermas continued:

"I tried to argue God out of it, and I didn’t know that in just a few days I would hold my wife’s hand for the very last time. My wife was in a coma, and my sister-in- law, who is a nurse, put a stethoscope on her heart and told me to talk to her. So I told Debbie, “I love you, I love you, I love you.” Debbie’s sister told me that the most incredible thing happened. When I told Debbie that I loved her, her heart sped up. When I didn’t say anything, her heart slowed down. A few minutes later, Debbie died. The date was April 9, 1995. I buried my best friend.  Losing my wife was the most painful experience I’ve ever had to face; but if the Resurrection could help me get through her death, Christ’s Resurrection can get us through anything. Heaven is living eternally with God and your loved ones. The resurrection of Jesus gives us assurance of heaven"

As I listened to Dr. Habermas’ tender story, I decided to sign up for his theology course that summer. More importantly, I was encouraged by the simple words of Christ that Habermas reminded us of as he finished his sermon: “Because I live, you also will live" (John 14:9). Because Jesus rose from the dead, we also can have great hope for the future even in the worst times of suffering and sorrow. Because of the resurrection, we can trust Jesus.