the stone is rolled away - day 7 of 10

DAY 7 of 10 - APRIL 16, 2022 Special Devotion Written by Dr. Dan Bolin - Taking a Deeper Look into the Wonder of Easter

The dark, cold, silence of despair engulfed the Disciples. Their hopes had been dashed. Their greatest fears realized. Their worst nightmare had come true. The jubilant, mountaintop, celebration of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem less than a week before had plummeted into the unending pit of hopelessness. The hours between Good Friday and Easter Sunday were not spent waiting – waiting assumes something is coming next. The Disciples had no next! The hopes and dreams they had lived for the past three years were gone. They had no plan B. No exit strategy. Nowhere to turn. No hope for tomorrow. Silence was all they had. Stunning silence. Excruciating silence. Deafening silence. Fortunately, silence does not equal nothing. Abraham, a great man of faith lived 175 years and the Bible records only a handful of interactions between him and God. But God used Abraham’s faithful obedience during the years of silence to establish a people through whom all the people of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3b) The Children of Israel suffered in bondage in Egypt for 400 years. God did not immediately respond to their cries for help but eventually he intervened and sent Moses to be their deliverer. During that time a small clan of a few dozen people was multiplying to become a nation with a million members. Eli served God while his family and his nation drifted away from the Lord. Communication from God to his people was rare during those years. But God used that time to develop Samuel (I Samuel 3:1). He became the great leader God wanted to shepherd his people during a critical, transitional time in their development. Hundreds of years transpired between Malachi, the final writing prophet, and the coming of Jesus. But during that time, God was aligning major events to prepare the perfect context for his Son’s entry into the world. Paul prayed three times for God to remove his thorn in the flesh. His only answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) During the Disciples' hours of deep disappointment, hopelessness, and despair - silence did not equal nothing. God was at work confounding the power of sin and defeating the stratagems of Satan. What looks like nothing was something – something mysterious and marvelous – something that would change the course of history and eternity. Something that would change the lives of the disciples and transform the world. Despite our inability to see the activity, God is always working. Silence does not indicate that He is disinterested, has abandoned us, or lacks the power or love to help us. We must learn to walk by faith, not by sight. The quiet day between Good Friday and Easter was the darkest night the disciples had ever experienced. But God was at work. That bleak setting became the backdrop for the world’s greatest Sonrise.

Dan Bolin President Refueling in Flight Ministries, Inc