He Saved Us Instead - Encouragement for Today - April 3, 2026

Encouragement for Today

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Elizabeth Laing Thompson April 3, 2026

He Saved Us Instead
ELIZABETH LAING THOMPSON

“Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:53 (NIV)

Editor’s Note: Today’s devotion is part of our Holy Week series! Journey with us as we experience the power of Jesus’ love, remember His sacrifice, and walk in the victory of His resurrection. We pray this series prepares your heart for the joy of Easter. Subscribe now.

They came in darkness. An armed mob desecrating a peaceful garden, hunting a praying man. At first, one of Jesus’ disciples drew a sword and fought back.

But Jesus rebuked him: “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Matthew 26:53-54, NIV).

Jesus’ words just before His arrest in the garden of Gethsemane echo a promise God made His people in Psalm 91:11: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (NIV). Not only did Jesus have this promise from God, but Jesus is God, so He could have summoned more than 12 legions of angels — 72,000 heavenly warriors — to defeat His enemies and deliver Him from the cross.

Heaven stood ready to rescue, awaiting His call.

A call He never gave.

As the sacred but savage events of Good Friday unfolded, how tempting it must have been for Jesus to summon those angels. To take the way out.

When the mob dragged Jesus to trial, He could have walked away.

When deceitful witnesses hurled false accusations, He didn’t have to take the abuse.

When soldiers stripped Him, He didn’t have to bear the humiliation.

When they flogged Him, He didn’t have to endure their blows.

When they drove spikes through His body, He could have stopped the pain.

When Jesus looked down from the cross, struggling to breathe, and saw His mother’s tears through His own, He could have eased her heartbreak.

All the while, the crowd taunted and challenged Him, “Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:40b, NIV). Perhaps this was Satan’s last, desperate attempt to thwart God’s salvation plan, to get Jesus to give up.

And God watched it all. When His Son cried out, did the Father turn toward His angelic troops, the command poised on His tongue? He could have done it: sent the angels. Swept Jesus into His arms. Wiped away the blood and tears. But the Father held back the rescue, and the Son held back the plea.

As the hours crawled by, each moment an agony, at any point, Jesus could have said, Enough. He could have breathed the prayer, Save me.

He saved us instead.

Because we could not be saved without the precious spilling of His sinless blood. The cross was and is the only way to reconcile us to God. The only way to cleanse us from all that haunts us, condemns us. All our sin and shame.

So Jesus endured — God endured — until the end, the final breath. And in Jesus’ last words, “It is finished” (John 19:30, NIV), we hear salvation’s victory song.

Father, thank You for loving us enough to let Your Son sacrifice His precious life for ours. We owe You everything, and we give You our hearts forever. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

Holy Week isn’t just something we read about — it’s something we respond to. As we revisit the cross and the empty tomb, we’re reminded that this story calls for more than reflection; it calls for surrender, gratitude, and renewed trust. Each devotion this week is an invitation to let the finished work of Jesus shape the way we live right now. If you haven’t already, subscribe to receive our Encouragement for Today Devotions so you can continue walking through every reflection this week — and stay rooted in daily biblical encouragement beyond Easter. And as God speaks to you through these devotions, don’t keep it to yourself. When you’re ready, share how this Holy Week series has impacted your faith or share a prayer request with us. Your story could be the very spark that helps another woman take her next step toward Him.

ENGAGE

Elizabeth Laing Thompson sends Bible studies and devotions to her newsletter friends, and she’d love to connect on Instagram. Her new book, In Season: A 90-Day Devotional for Female Student Athletes to Build Faith, Strengthen Confidence, and Train a Growth Mindset, is now available for preorder.

FOR DEEPER STUDY

Isaiah 53:3-5, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (NIV).

1 Peter 2:21-25, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. ‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’ For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’ but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (NIV).

What does Jesus’ sacrifice mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org