Silent Saturday

It’s Saturday, and Jesus is silent.

On Friday, He hung on a cross, and said, “It is finished!”  But now, on Saturday, the Sabbath, Jesus is silent.

But wait. Not just Jesus, but God the Father as well. On Friday, Matthew 27:51-53 says:

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

The Earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open! God was loud. The earth experienced God on Friday.

But today, Saturday, is silent. The silence is deafening! Why doesn’t God do something? The quiet is sheer agony!

Think about it. We rarely hear much about Saturday. The crucifixion and the resurrection get all of the attention. But don’t ignore Saturday.

Silent Saturdays. The days between the problem and the solution, the question and the answer. It’s in the silence that we wonder if God cares. Is He mad? Why doesn’t He do something? Jesus is in the tomb. Do something! My marriage is upside down, my child is addicted to drugs, I just got diagnosed with cancer. Do something! At least tell me what to do.

Friends, if God feels distant, I want to let you know He is still there. Maybe in the silence, we should do what Jesus did in the tomb. Lie still. Trust God.

Deuteronomy 31:8 says:

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

He is with you. Jesus knew God would not leave Him alone in the grave. God will not leave you alone in your struggle, your pain. He still is at work in silence.

If God solved your problems the minute they happened, you wouldn’t appreciate Him. He’d be like Santa Claus showing up once a year with a bag full of presents. It’s in God’s silence that we feel HIs strength, His presence, His peace. We need Saturday.

If you’re in the middle of a Saturday, don’t lose faith. Sunday’s coming! I know. I’ve had Saturdays through the years. The times I doubted if Jesus was real and rose from the dead. The hours when life seemed hopeless, no answer in sight. There is a reason God said, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). You see, it’s in the silence that you deepen your faith, your understanding of God and His peace.

The Resurrection is in sight, but for now find rest in the silence of Saturday.

Pastor Pam

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