Silent Saturday

4/4/2026

by Natalie Johnson & Sofia Ochoa

SCRIPTURE

1 Kings 19: 9-14

“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”

DEVOTION

In 1 Kings, Elijah finds God in the silence. Finding God in the silence of struggle is one of the hardest traits to learn as a Christian. We are often told that God answers our prayers, but when His response isn’t obvious, we falter. Elijah searches for God in the wind on the mountains, earthquakes, and fire, where God would speak. But God was in the silence. Coming as a whisper.

Silent Saturday was the day that Jesus’ body lay in the tomb, surrounded and guarded by Roman soldiers. The silence manifested in two forms. First, Jesus’ literal silence in death. And, second, the disciples’ silence as they processed grief and waited. We heard God loud only the day before in tearing curtains and screaming. Church services center themselves on Sunday: the loudness of cheering and the hope of a resurrection. However, we often forget the silence of the day in between. If Friday represents the struggle and Sunday represents the solution, what do we do on Saturday while we wait?

Silence is one of the most painful, agonizing, and fearful reactions that we experience. It casts doubt into our hearts and places distrust at the front of our minds. The silence on our end requires reframing that we may not see in that moment. On Silent Saturday, Jesus was physically lying in the tomb, but we see in later books that He descended to hell and broke the power of death. While silent, Jesus was actively saving humanity, something that would later be called the Holy Pause.

Saturdays remind us that God wouldn’t let Jesus stay in the grave, and He won’t leave us in ours. There is a purpose in silence, and learning to keep Christ in the front while we wait is imperative. Sometimes we must wait for a whisper or for days full of seeming silence. Max Lucado asks us, “Had God raised Jesus fifteen minutes after the death of His son, would we have appreciated the act? Were He to solve your problems the second they appear, would you appreciate His strength?”

Rather than waiting for the Sundays or dreading the Fridays of our life, learn to pray on the Saturdays and wait for Him to reveal to you what He is working on.

Prayer:

Dear God, Thank you for the knowledge that you hold for everything going on in my life. I pray that you give me the strength to understand the silence that you give me, and the ability to pray through it. I know that you have a plan, and your will is done. Help me to remember this on my “Saturdays” and to keep you at the front of my mind. Give me guidance as I walk through your plan, and show me where you need me in the silence. I know that you are working in my life even if I don’t feel you, lead me God. Amen

MUSIC

Jesu, mein Freude BWV 227

English lyrical translation:

1. Chorale
Jesus, my joy,
my heart's pasture,
Jesus, my treasure!
Ah, how long, ah long
has my heart suffered
and longed for you!
God's lamb, my bridegroom,
besides you on earth
nothing shall be dearer to me.

2. Chorus
Now there is nothing damnable in those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk after the way of the flesh, but after the way of the Spirit.

3. Chorale
Under your protection
I am safe from the storms
of all enemies.
Let Satan rage,
let the enemy fume,
Jesus stands with me.
Whether now it thunders and flashes,
whether sin and Hell terrify,
Jesus will protect me.

4. Chorus
For the law of the spirit, which gives life in Christ Jesus, has made me free from the law of sin and death.

5. Chorale
Defiance to the old dragon,
defiance to the vengeance of death,
defiance to fear as well!
Rage, world, and attack;
I stand here and sing
in entirely secure peace!
God's strength holds me in watch;
earth and abyss must fall silent,
however much they might rumble.

6. Chorus
You, however, are not of the flesh, but rather of the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives otherwise in you. Anyone, however, who does not have Christ's Spirit, is not his.
7. Chorale
Away with all treasures,
you are my delight,
Jesus, my joy!
Away, you vain honors,
I don't want to listen to you,
remain unknown to me!
Misery, want, torture, shame and death
shall, although I must suffer much,
never part me from Jesus.

8. Chorus
However if Christ is in you, then the body is dead indeed for the sake of sin; but the spirit is life for the sake of righteousness.

9. Chorale
Good night, existence
that cherishes the world!
You do not please me.
Good night, sins,
stay far away,
never again come to light!
Good night, pride and glory!
To you utterly, life of corruption,
be good night given!

10. Chorus
Therefore now since the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, that same who raised Christ from the dead will make your mortal bodies living, for the sake of his spirit that dwells in you.

11. Chorale
Hence, you spirits of sadness,
for my Master of joy,
Jesus, comes here.
For those who love God,
even their troubles
must be pure sugar.
Though I endure mockery and shame here already,
nevertheless you stay with me even in sorrow,
Jesus, my joy

Interpretation:
This piece speaks about how Jesus is our friend and companion through all things. He has suffered with us and for us. He defends us from the evils of Satan and keeps us in his stead. Although we will endure much in this life, Jesus remains with us through it all. By walking in the Spirit, we are freed from the shackles of sin and death. The cantata speaks much on death and how Jesus overcame death. Death is often perceived as silent, solemn, and permanent. Our theme of God still being there in the silence is exemplified in this cantata. The silent “death” of Jesus on Silent Saturday was Jesus suffering with us, fighting for us, and freeing us. Death did not remain silent, it was defeated with loud trumpets and shining glory. In the same fashion, God will not remain silent to us. He is with us in every moment, silent and triumphant.

POETRY

On God’s Silence by Gideon Burton

Don’t let his silence leave you voiceless.

Don’t let your anger, either.

Scream to the winter skies. Say it all.

Nothing you can shout, no profanity

divides the wholeness of His heart.

He has all eternity.

He is all eternity.

And all of time that you can fill or feel

he’s set apart for you—all His powers,

at hand, ready, all His gifts.

His silence—it is not the danger; yours is.

But be there ready, waiting

in the oily dust of beige-gray,

anything-but-sunrise skies.

Be there with your manifesto and your megaphone,

with your pillow-muffled primal screams

to loose at last.

And then, be still.

Be ready to receive

the emptiness,

the vast expanse,

the quiet cosmos,

turning in its patient arc of eons,

far beyond your minuscule existence.

The ratio of your life or pain

to all of God’s domain is nothing. Nothing.

But that of what you feel

to who He is, is everything. Everything.

The aching without limit aches in him.

His groan, your groan.

His cross, your cross;

your cross, his cross.

You meet him in the bitter garden.

He meets you in your endless anguish.

There, connected, shattered all across the ironies.

His silence is God listening to you.

His silence is his reverence, his awe

at just how dark, how broken is your world.

His silence is his offering to you, not refusal.

Don’t feel neglected,

as though this were a human, mortal silence:

reproach, passivity, or ignorance.

No. He doesn’t deal in pettiness.

His silence, it is never small.

Hold fast this silence. He’s giving all of it to you.

So take the gift.

Feel his silence, heft the weight inside of waiting.

Measure silence out of measure, all of it you can.

There’s always more.

Feel the silence as it ripens,

as it swallows you in sweetness,

as it empties out the emptiness.

Whisper thank you, thank you,

my God it is too much it is enough.

Interpretation:

The poem that we chose is “On God’s Silence” by Gideon Burton. This version of the poem is cut from the original, which can be found in Wayfare Magazine in a publication from May of 2024. This poem speaks of the silence that we can feel God is showing us. It analyses it not as a lack of love but as an overflowing of it. God gives us silence so we can be with him, so we can search for him in the depths of our souls and speak to him.

Our theme of God still being there in the silence is exemplified by this poem. The use of repetition throughout conveys the multi-angle view the author presents of both man and God feeling the same things. God wants to hold us in our times of sorrow, comfort us when we feel the weight of the world, and live with us through the pain. God’s silence is His manner of giving us the space to talk to Him. God will not abandon us and leave us to silence. He is waiting for us, all we need to do is speak.

ARTWORK

Interpretation:
The Shroud of Turin is thought to be the cloth that was placed over Jesus while he was in the tomb on Silent Saturday. While this is not a traditional work of art, it still qualifies as art. God imprinted an image of Himself, just as the artist imprints part of himself on every piece he creates. Lying in what is perceived as silence, Jesus fought and won the greatest battle for us. Even though we might hear or perceive silence from God, that does not mean that He has forgotten about us. It means that He is fighting unseen and unheard battles for us, answering prayers we thought He did not notice.

Biographies:
Natalie Johnston is a senior at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy. She plans to study psychology in the fall, then attend law school to pursue criminal law.
Sofia Ochoa is a senior at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy. She is planning on studying mechanical engineering in the fall, and later to begin a career in automotive racing.

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