The Silence of God: Finding Hope in the Darkest Moments
As Christians, we’ve all experienced moments when our prayers seem to go unanswered, and God’s silence is deafening. It’s as if we’re shouting into the void, and our cries are met with an eerie stillness. But what if this silence isn’t a sign of God’s absence or indifference? What if it’s actually a part of His divine plan?
The Mystery of Holy Saturday
To understand this concept, let’s look at the events of Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Why did God insert a day of silence and inactivity between the crucifixion and the resurrection? Why not simply move from death to life in an instant? The answer lies in the fact that God is not just a God of power, but also a God of wisdom and love.
A Day of Ambiguity
Imagine being one of the disciples on that Sabbath day, feeling lost and uncertain about the future. The world seemed to be spinning out of control, and God’s silence was palpable. Yet, in the midst of this ambiguity, something remarkable was happening. Jesus, the Son of God, was descending into the depths of hell, bearing the weight of humanity’s sin and suffering.
The Silence of God is Not Absolute
The good news is that Jesus’ experience of God’s silence was not just a reflection of our own struggles, but a fundamental aspect of His mission to save humanity. He suffered the ultimate nightmare of God’s silence so that we wouldn’t have to. As a result, we can have full assurance of faith that even in the darkest moments, God’s silence is not absolute.
A Strange, Severe Mercy
In fact, God’s silence can be received as a strange, severe mercy that drives us deeper into our relationship with Him. It’s a reminder that our hope is not based on our feelings or circumstances, but on the rock-solid promise of God’s love and redemption.
Finding Hope in the Darkest Moments
So, when life seems like a living hell, and our cries receive the seeming silent treatment, we can know that God Himself has gone there first. We can have great confidence that Jesus sympathizes with our plight and can even be present with us through it. As the Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar said, “He wanted to sink so low that in the future all falling would be a falling into him.”
Conclusion
In the end, the silence of God is not something to be feared or avoided. It’s an opportunity to exercise our faith, to trust in His goodness and love, even when we can’t see or feel it. So, let’s fix our hope on the Easter truth, knowing that Jesus has plumbed the utter depths and emerged victorious. In Him, we can find hope, even in the darkest moments.
Leave a Reply