Holy Saturday. A day, in some ways that was likely harder for the disciplines than Good Friday. With the horror of His torturous death still a vivid memory, the disciplines began to consider “What now?” “How could I have been some blind?” “He wasn’t who He said He was?” “I had attached all my hopes and dreams on Him and now He’s dead. Will they come for me next?”
As His disciples, we have days, and sometimes weeks, months and years, like that. After the flash of salvation, the grind of daily life sets in and we begin to question. “Am I really a Christian?” “Can I believe what He said?” “Why is He so hard to follow?” “Why can’t I hear His voice?” And in response it seems heaven is silent and the world and our “friends” laugh and mock. It would be so easy to drop it all and believe only in what we see instead of what He promised.
As I have mentioned, I have been reading “Has Christianity Failed You?” by Ravi Zacharias. He addresses many of these doubts and questions. But the bottom line is Jesus is everything He said He was and His promises are true. If there is a problem, we have either misunderstood who He is or we have confused Him with His church. He is perfect; His church is not.
We do well today, and any time when doubt assails us, to stop and reconsider Christ. Yesterday we looked up to see Jesus crucified and considered our part in His death. Today, perhaps we should consider Christ who seems silent and buried at times in our lives. I am reminded of the “Footprints in the Sand” story in which our lives are considered as footprints in the sand. Most of the time there are two sets of prints, ours and His but at other times there is but one set. In those times, it’s not that He’s left. The only footprints we see are His. He carried us through those tough times.
If He seems silent and absent consider: “Has He abandoned me or have I not been listening?” If we are disappointed with our Christian walk, is it because it’s not what He promised or we just didn’t listen when He advised it would involve picking up a cross and following? Is it because we have believed a “gospel” that teaches if we are Christians we should always be rich and healthy? Is it because we thought there would be no persecution, if we followed Him?
He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He doesn’t promise that we will always feel that or see that. He does promise that, by faith, we can always know that. If He seems quiet today, know that tomorrow He will burst forth in glory and power and the world will know. “He is risen.”
Nick
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