Session 7

Saturday: When Hope is Six Feet Under

From Holy Week Devotional

On Saturday, there is silence. Jesus is dead and buried. Soldiers guard His tomb. The storyline seems to have come to an end—and without victory, at that. 

This is not the only time we see silence in Scripture. There are 400 years between the Old and New Testaments. That’s full generations of Israelites, living and dying without hearing a fresh revelation from God through His Word. 

Some passages in the Old Testament highlight these silences. The book of Esther does not mention God once. But it’s clear that He is at work to free His people throughout its pages. 

Psalm 130 is one of the Psalms of Ascent—a song that Israelites would sing on their way to the temple in Jerusalem each year. Imagine people singing the words above as they waited for something from God. A word. A rescue. A Messiah.  

Jesus’ disciples must have felt like their Messiah had finally come, only to face Saturday’s disillusionment down to the depths of their souls. Hope felt buried along with Jesus on Saturday. But in reality, this was just a pause in the music before the grand finale. God was, once again, at work to free His people. 

Journal: What do you do when God is silent? Can you lean into the truth that He is always at work, even when you can’t see the evidence?