Rest in the Waiting

 Saturday

Rest in the Waiting

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.”

Psalm 62:5

A quietness filled the city streets that didn’t exist the day before. The marketplace stood empty. It was the Sabbath, a day to cease from toiling and rest. In the space of twenty-four hours, their world had been turned upside down. They weren’t sure what to do with themselves. Jesus’ disciples had grown accustomed to following Him, and now there was no one to follow. Fear gripped their hearts. Would they be the next target of the religious leaders? Jesus had said that He would rise again. It had been a statement that was easy to believe when Jesus was with them but now that He was dead, doubt began to creep into their hearts. 

They had heard news that the religious leaders, along with a group of Pharisees, had gone to Pilate early this morning.  They had requested that the tomb be sealed until the third day. They had heard Jesus prophesy that He would rise on the third day, and they feared that some of His followers would try to come and steal the body, claiming that He had indeed risen from the dead. So, the tomb had been sealed, and guards had been posted by the entrance (Matthew 27:62-62). 

So, they waited. They clung to the hope that He would do as promised, and defeat death. But images of His mangled body hanging on the cross flashed through their minds. To see their leader, gasping for air while asking His Father to forgive the ones who had hung Him there, had left a mark on their grieving hearts that wouldn’t be easily erased. In the silence, left by the cross, they waited.

I can sit in the silence of Saturday, waiting on the resurrection, with a sense of excitement and joy. I know that on Sunday the tomb will be empty. I know that death is defeated, and Jesus is alive. But this wasn’t the case for His disciples. Jesus had told them that He would rise again but they had just seen Him die a horrific death. They had watched His body be placed in a tomb. It seemed like hope was lost, and that everything they had believed in was gone. Yet, it wasn’t…it just felt that way. While they waited, a question they could have asked themselves is “Will we trust what He promised or will we trust what circumstances say?”

This is a question that we must also ask ourselves. Will we trust His promises or will we trust what circumstances say about our lives? If we are leaning into what circumstances say, then our hearts will be pulled in different directions. We might have moments of peace but then that peace will be snatched from us as circumstances change. The only way to have true rest is by fixing our hearts on His promises. The day that the disciples were waiting was also the Sabbath, a day set aside for rest. If they were clinging to the promises that He made to them, then their hearts would be at rest in Him. However, if their minds kept wandering to the events that had just transpired  there would be no rest, only fear. The same is true for us. We have to cling to His faithfulness, and what He says to us through His Word so that we aren’t tossed about by life’s fleeting circumstances. In the silence of your waiting, hold tight to Him and trust His promises to you. 

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 62, Matthew 27:62-66, Mark 16:1