Holy Saturday – In Between Day – It’s the Day After – A Day to be Sad – REALLY?
My best EVER friend died yesterday. He was my closest friend. How can life go on without Him? It’s the day after, and I have to be the one to handle the responsibilities of planning the funeral, the burial, notifying relatives, and handling so many other details of what to do without Him. They say “Hold it together by treasuring the memories!” But the memories make me want Him here with me even more. They say “Take your time to heal”, but this is just the day after. How can I be expected to be healed TODAY? Please let me just sit and cry my tears of heartache because my life will never be the same again. But then I hear a voice saying “Hold on my child. Joy comes in the morning!”
Yesterday was Good Friday when Christ was hung from the cross and bore every sin we’ve ever committed. He carried every sickness we have had, and will ever have. He gave His life so that we would live forever and ever with Him. That was His promise, but this day after — the day-in-the-middle — the day between Christ’s crucifixion and His resurrection, His disciples and followers could only think….”It’s all over for us! Life will never be the same again.”
Those disciples had walked with Him and talked with Him. They had seen His good acts and the many miracles He performed (raising people from the dead, opening blind eyes and deaf ears, forgiving the worst of sinners and encouraging them to sin no more and to love their neighbors AND enemies). Now, Jesus was dead — as dead as He could be. They had forgotten His 3-days promise. It was all over for them. They succumbed to doubt, fear, and unbelief. Yes, it WAS their saddest day EVER.
But was it really the saddest day? Those of us who understand that yesterday He died for our sicknesses, our sins, and to give us “abundant life” on this earth and our eternal life with Him. The cross, the time in the tomb, and tomorrow’s triumphant resurrection changed everything. When someone we love slips from this life, we think they are somehow diminished to ashes and dust. But this is only part of the story. The reality, the hope, the truth is that they are more fully alive and more real than ever before. They are experiencing the results of the eternal life that resurrection gave us.
Our “in-the-middle” day may be where we’re at in our life right now. Maybe it feels like God hasn’t come through for us, and never will. Our dreams for tomorrow are in the tomb right alongside Jesus. It seems all hope is gone because a loved one may have died, an illness may be bearing down hard on us, our marriage may seem dead, our financial situation may appear buried. But to those who know the end of THIS LOVE story AND who know the Savior – our hopes, dreams, desires and prayers won’t be dead forever, because Jesus was raised to life on the 3rd day and He came to give us LIFE and life more abundantly (John 10:10). So hold on, my child, in the middle, this day AFTER, it’s time to get our hopes up because JOY COMES in the MORNING!
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5.