John was in a board meeting when the call came through. Alicia was being rushed to the hospital; no one knew if she would survive.
Flooded with emotions, John, accompanied by two of his board members, went to the hospital. They got there just as she was being wheeled into the theatre. Confused, John did not know what to think or do. She was all he had left. God had assured him he would no longer need to sorrow, but with his daughter's life hanging between life and death, he could not do anything, only wait.
Eight hours later, surgery was completed, and the long wait for recovery began. Would Alicia be alright? Or would she have to live with some disability? What about the promise of God? How would the word of prophecy find expression if she was incapacitated? (God had told him Alicia would travel the world, proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. "God, what now?"
One day became one week, then one month and counting. God, please say something. Will Alicia be okay?"
(Silence)
"What am I supposed to do now?"
John's friends, Jim and Tony, tried their best to be there for him; they took control of the office so he would not need to concern himself with the goings on therein. They also took turns to sit with him whenever they sensed he needed someone to keep his hope alive.
Have you ever had to endure the silence of heaven? Have you ever desperately needed a word, and none came? Do you have unanswered questions, that period when you would do anything to know what God thought of an issue? Or the time when all around you is dark, and all you asked was a ray of hope, a flicker of light, a word, a sign, anything but silence.
The week's activities began in earnest as Jesus and the disciples made their way to Jerusalem on Sunday. Then, Friday came, and things got to a head. Jesus died, and His body lay in a borrowed tomb.
Just hours before, there was buzzing activity. It wasn't what the disciples would want, not how a storyteller would want their story to go. They got to that point when the dots refused to connect.
There is usually some time of silence in the corridor between the pain and its eradication or relief.
What characterizes the period can be anything. For John, it was the endless wait to know if his girl would make it. For Jesus, even His rich and influential disciples were powerless against the occurrences in His life during the period of silence..
Have you ever felt stuck?
That moment when you cannot feel the presence of God.
What should the Christian disposition be the day after the question and before the solution? -The period between the loss and the recovery.
· Rest,
· chill
· relax,
· pause, Lay still.
· Say nothing!
· quiet trust
· Submit to the process.
· Let it go.
· Hand it over
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
If you can wait, silent Saturdays usually only last but for a while.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10
When you submit to God, understand that death leads to life. It is also important to note that releasing a matter to God, does not mean you lost, it just means you are about to gain something new.
If you do not release today, tomorrow would be held hostage and the future cannot be unlocked.
Shame, despair, hopelessness pain, may be part of the silent Saturday, but glory, hallelujah, resurrection, power, and authority attend Sunday. Angels still move stones, and Jesus' tomb remains empty. Instead, hope is rekindled for life, and life assumes a new meaning through Christ.
Alicia woke up after five months in intensive care, she went on to recover fully, and John's period of silence gave birth to a ministry of hope and trust in Jesus.
For Further Study:
Psalm 42:11, 43:5
Psalm 83:1
Isaiah 62:1.
