Holy Saturday: Waiting in Silence
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalm 62:5-8
Imagine what this day 1,991 years ago must have been like for the disciples. Jesus’ death had taken place, and he wouldn’t be resurrected until the next day. Suspended between these two events, the world must have seemed to be coming apart. They likely forgot that the very same psalm that Jesus quoted on the cross, which begins with the line “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1), ends with the whole world bowing before God. However intense and heartbreaking it may have been, this day—the day between death and life, between the atonement for sins and the birth of new life—only has one verse fully devoted to it in the Gospels: “On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56).
Despite witnessing the death of God-incarnate, the followers of Jesus continued to obey God and rest in trust of him. Admittedly, this was likely almost unconscious, a force of cultural habit, but they did it nonetheless. From the earliest stories of the Sabbath, resting was an act of rest and trust in God. The Israelites had to trust God for the food to eat on the Sabbath, trust that their manna would not spoil as it did on other days (Ex. 16). They quite literally were taught to rely on God for their “daily bread” (Matt. 6:11).
Unlike the disciples all those years ago, we know exactly what happened the following day. We know of Jesus’ resurrection and triumph over death. We can look back and see that even in the darkest moments of life and history, God’s triumph is certain because the battle is already won. Jesus has risen! He has conquered death. He has brought us new life and is coming again.
So, like the disciples unwittingly did, let us rest and wait on the Lord. Our lives can sometimes feel dark, and the world around us can feel chaotic and hopeless. But let us remember that our “hope is from him.” He is our “rock and salvation,” and he was willing to sacrifice himself to save us. Because of who God is and what Jesus did, we can “trust him at all times.” While we wait for God’s coming as the disciples waited for the resurrection on Holy Sunday, let us remind ourselves in the words of the psalm: “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”
Silas is a sophomore at Columbia College and the Treasurer for the Witness. He enjoys playing piano and reading philosophy.