A Prayer to Rest in Jesus This Holy Saturday - Your Daily Prayer - April 19 

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I am a proverbial middle child. I often compare myself to my siblings, but because I am the second of four children and stuck between more critical people, I always find myself wanting. I am never as cool, widespread, or trusted as my older brother or as privileged or beloved as my younger sisters. So, like all middle children, I grew up feeling continually ignored and without a defined identity. In my mind, everyone else was more important, and my identity spoke more of who I was, not rather than who I was.

This is the case for everything stuck in the middle. Just consider how we speak about the middle:

• The middle finger is the finger of insult.
• Middle school is a scholastic muddle; it lacks both the fun of primary school and the prestige of high school.
• Middle-of-the-road often refers to something or someone lacking vibrancy, panache, or excitement.
• Middle management, middle age, and mid-life crises are all terms we use to suggest the negation of life, creativity, or sanity.

I wonder if Holy Saturday is the middle child of Christ’s passion. After all, Holy Saturday is stuck between two days with grand events. Good Friday lies behind us with the testimony of Christ’s death on the cross, made on our behalf and for our sins. On the other hand, Easter Morning has the glorious message of resurrection and new life. So, Holy Saturday sits there. It is a day with no story and seemingly no events. We don’t know what to do with it.

But what if Holy Saturday is more than just a day stuck in the middle? Holy Saturday helps us see that our struggle is not a struggle for salvation but a struggle to understand the dynamics of the salvation in which we reside. Good Friday and Easter Sunday are held together by Holy Saturday. They are held not as opposing events but as integral parts of one overarching story. Holy Saturday is the day where we rest in the triumphant work of Christ, and yet we also anticipate that there is more of Christ to be revealed; Christ’s glorious work is yet to be completed, and so, on Holy Saturday, we recognize that our spiritual lives are also yet to be completed.

It's easy to rush past Holy Saturday, but we may be called to stop on this downbeat day. How might Holy Saturday call us to be still before the Lord so that we may truly rest in the glory of Christ’s work? After all, this sense of stillness is implicit in the day. Jesus appears to lie motionless in the grave. And yet we recognize his victory, not with trumpet shouts and alleluias (that will happen the next day) but with a silent understanding that all the cosmos has been redeemed. And so, the stillness of Holy Saturday is a profound expression of the Sabbath. Just as God rested from the activity of creation on the seventh day, so now Jesus rests from the activity of re-creation on this seventh day. And so we can rest.

We can rest in Jesus's presence. We can rest knowing that our sin has been paid for, our waywardness has been embraced, and there is no experience so dark that Christ’s love won’t reach. But we can also rest, knowing that new life awaits us and that Jesus still invites us to Himself amid any confusion. We rest knowing that a vision of the risen Lord can always answer questions and doubts.

And so, on this Holy Saturday, may you rest in Jesus. May you experience his love. May his grace and his stillness calm your soul.

Let’s Pray:
Gracious Jesus, I thank you for Good Friday, which lies behind me, and the reality of your sacrifice of love. Thank you for the cross and the gift of salvation that flows from your death. I also thank you for Easter Sunday, which lies ahead of me, and the anticipation of your mighty resurrection. I thank you for calling me into a new life each day.

Lord, I thank you that Holy Saturday holds the cross and the empty tomb together in this beautiful moment of pause. May the stillness of Holy Saturday meet me and open me to your quiet presence in my life. Lord, in the quietness of this day, you call me to breathe in your gifts of love and grace. Please help me to turn away from all that distracts me from your presence. Please help me to rest when I am tempted to run. Please help me to be still when I am tempted to be frenzied. Please help me stop and be with you when I am tempted to fill my life with other things. May this Holy Saturday remind me that your love for me isn’t just found in the magnificent or the miraculous but is ever real in the quiet places of my life? I pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Boonyachoat

The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, located in Kamloops BC, Canada.  He holds a doctorate in Spiritual formation and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and retreat leader. His writing can be found at Christianity.com, crosswalk.com, ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada, and many others.  He also maintains his own blog revkylenorman.ca.  He has 20 years of pastoral experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual discouragement.

Listen to the Your Nightly Prayer Podcast

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Struggling with acceptance or feeling misunderstood? Remember, your true identity is found in being fully known and loved by God. Let His unconditional love be your anchor, and rest tonight in the assurance that you are cherished beyond measure. Listen to this episode of Your Nightly Prayer, and if you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss a new episode!

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