VICTORY IN SEASONS OF SILENCE

“To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, lest if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit” – Psalm 28:1

Life is not always about happy times and bright days; but you receive Strength to lay hold on VICTORY IN SEASONS of SILENCE: “To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, lest if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit” (Psa.28:1). Such was the dark interlude between Jesus’ death on the Cross and His Resurrection. There probably has only been one day in the last two millennia when literally not one person in the world believed Jesus was alive – the day after His crucifixion! Jesus was dead! Apart from one detail about guards being posted to watch the tomb, the Bible is silent about this day – unlike Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday that we’ve heard much about.

Imagine after prayers get prayed but there seems to be no answer on the way; or after a soul gets crushed, yet there appears to be no promise of reprieve. How did the disciples feel during this time? Some had witnessed His crucifixion and death. Others had fled, but they heard of his death. Think of the sadness, despair, and disillusionment that would have overwhelmed all who knew and loved Jesus. Their Lord was gone. He had left them alone and confused. This must have been their darkest day ever. But, while His body laid in the tomb, Jesus’ soul went into the heart of the earth: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Mt.12:40; 27:57-60). The day seemed silent, but it was not in the least insignificant!

Friday was a nightmare day. Now, the terror was past, but only a handful of followers remained. They probably gathered quietly, remembering what He said, taught, and did; those He touched or healed; and their dashed hopes and dreams – to change the world! Maybe they pondered on what went wrong: Did Jesus fail? Was His a fair but botched attempt? This day didn’t seem to further the storyline of redemption at all. Was redemption not meant to be a three-day story? Paul said: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1Cor.15:3-4).

The agony of Friday was followed by Saturday’s Stillness! After trouble hits, and you cry out to God, yet silence follows! What do you do when your cry of agony is greeted with silence? Some people choose despair. They silently manage disappointment. Paul wrote about this: “How can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1Cor.15:12). Apparently they felt, “There is never going to be a Sunday. Get used to Friday’s pain.” Others choose denial – simplistic explanations, easy answers, cosmetic cheerfulness, forced optimism, clichéd formulas or false triumphalism.

But, what really was happening? God died in the flesh. God was in the tomb, and all hell was trembling with fear, because He who died had descended into hell, to lead captivity captive (Eph.4:8)! Here was the miracle of the day of Silence: the eternal Son of God tasted death. Jesus Christ defeated the great enemy death, not by proclaiming His invincibility over it but by submitting Himself to it. Jesus was in the grave. Jesus was in hell. Before Him, death and hell have lost their dread.

Are you in a season where God seems to be silent? Have you wondered when in the world bright ‘Sunday’ will come, or if it will come? The day before the Resurrection was key part of the Plan. The Lord is your Strength. So, let this be a day of sombre reflection on what it cost God to redeem you. This Silence is a temporary prelude to the Joy that comes in the Morning!