When God Is Silent

The Day of Silence

It is the Saturday of Passion Week, also known as Holy Week. These are the days we remember as The Last Days of Jesus' Life. This is the silent day. With all that has just taken place, there is a sense of uncertainty.

Picture painted by my son-in-law, Brad Foster.

Life is full of uncertainties. There are so many of those unexpected moments when you are not sure exactly what is going on. You’re confused as to what your next move might be. In that situation you may simply choose to be faithful and wait for something to change.

The disciples are in that moment. Jesus is dead. His body lay in the tomb as Roman soldiers stand guard. They are filled with grief, despair, and uncertainty. All hope is lost. I know they are wondering about their future – as a matter of fact, they probably have some doubt about their past. What have we been doing the last three years with Jesus? I thought things were going to be different. This is not the outcome I was expecting.

We all know the saying; “Hindsight is always 20/20.” But in that moment, in that uncertainty, that grief, that despair – we want answers. I am sure the disciples wanted a greater understanding of what just happened. Jesus said He would conquer death and rise again to give new life, but come on, no one has ever done that before! We remember the miracles and especially that little incident with Lazarus coming back from the dead – Wow! But this is different because Jesus Himself is gone. He’s dead. He’s in that tomb being guarded. He was the miracle worker. Who is going to do “that neat thing only He can do?”

Let us always remember that Jesus, being fully man, is also fully God. When “that moment” of silence comes or uncertainty hits, we can rest assured that God is still God. He may be silent, but He is never disconnected from our situation. He may seem distant (buried) but we can live with absolute assurance that He is fully in control.

Try to imagine the gospel without the resurrection. Where would we rest our hope? May we worship God today and everyday knowing the truth that Sunday is coming. May our Saturday (everyday) be filled with anticipation and worship for what we know with certainty is yet to come.