The Day In Between
On the Sabbath, they all rested according to the commandment. Luke 23:56
Jesus had been crucified And laid inside a tomb. The disciples left wondering, How will their lives resume? Saturday was Sabbath, How did they celebrate? Did they reminisce about Jesus, Or contemplate their fate? The Bible says they rested, As was God's commandment; Spending time in prayer, With heavy hearts, penitent. Was God silent as they prayed, Or did He speak to their soul; Giving them comfort As Christ's death took its toll? We can only speculate What the disciples did for sure, On that day in between Good Friday and Sunday Easter. What can we do with That in-between day? Contemplate what Jesus did As in the tomb He lay; While we look forward to Celebrating tomorrow, The day Jesus rose And our praises for Him follow!
Saturday, the day in between Good Friday and Easter, was Sabbath. What is Sabbath? The word means “set apart” or “make holy” in Hebrew. It is a day set apart from the rest of the week to rest from work. God gave us the example of Sabbath when He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. (By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Genesis 2:2) It was also one of the 10 Commandments. (Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Exodus 20:8) It starts at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday. The day was spent doing things like reading scriptures, praying, and spending time with family and friends.
The Sabbath after Good Friday must have been an especially hard day for the disciples. I’m sure they had many questions. Perhaps they wondered, “Why did God allow this to happen?” “What are we supposed to do now?” Since Sabbath is a day to spend time with God, perhaps that is why God allowed a day in between Jesus’s death and resurrection. It gave them time to think about all that had happened. Although God may have been silent, He was with them, working on their hearts. He was helping them build up their faith. He was preparing them for something greater than they could ever imagine! (God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. He does everything by His power that is working in us. Ephesians 3:20)
We all have “silent Saturdays,” the time in between a problem and solution. We don’t always get an answer right away. God hears every prayer, but sometimes His answer is “Wait.” That’s hard to do! Nobody likes to wait! When we’re hungry, we want food now! When we’re cold, we want warmth now! When we don’t feel well, we want to feel better now! So what do we do during “the wait?” We trust God, because He knows our needs and will supply them. (My God will meet all your needs. Philippians 4:19) In 2020, we were in a waiting period. The pandemic kept us isolated from our friends and families. You may have asked God, “Why is this happening?” ”Will I get sick?” “When will this end?” God heard your prayers through that period of waiting. Now think back: during that time of waiting, what were some of the good things that happened? How did God provide for you during this time? Hindsight is a powerful tool to give us hope during periods of waiting.
Perhaps you’re in a waiting season right now. Be encouraged that God is with you. (The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. Psalm 145:18) Know that God has heard your prayer and is at work on your behalf. Before you know it, just like Easter Sunday, God will have an answer that will bless your socks off! Hope is rising!
Dear Jesus, thank you for being with us during times of waiting. Help us to not be discouraged when the answer doesn’t come quickly. Let us use that time to draw nearer to You, resting in Your comforting arms. Thank you for Resurrection Sunday that gives us hope as we wait! Amen