Have you ever been disappointed with God? Have you ever expected Him to act differently from how He did?
Have you ever wondered why He didn’t intervene when you were so sure He could?
When we become believers in Christ, we are often discipled with well-intentioned, but very high and sometimes unrealistic, expectations of Jesus. Many of us come to faith believing that following Him means He will fix what is broken, answer every sincere prayer, and rescue us from every painful situation.
And usually, those expectations are taught with love and good intentions. But sometimes life does not happen that way.
I only have to think back to my own discipleship journey to remember things that hurt me deeply and confused me even more — things people claimed Jesus would, could, or should do, but didn’t do… for me.
I’m sure He could have. But if I had known my Bible better then, I would have had more solid ground to stand on. I was a new believer, still getting to know Scripture, and very eager to learn anything and everything I could about Jesus.
Maybe your current circumstances have brought you to the same question: “Can I trust Him even when I don’t understand Him?”
If so, you are part of a much larger story. The disciples must have wondered the very same thing. After the resurrection, they had to rebuild their understanding of the Messiah. They discovered that God had not failed His promises — He had fulfilled them in a way they never imagined.
The disciples expected a conquering King. Instead, they watched Him die. They were not only grieving; their entire understanding of who Jesus was had collapsed. Think about everything they experienced in less than 72 hours:
· Judas’ betrayal. [Mark 14: 43-46]
· Jesus’ arrest. [John 18:12-14]
· Peter’s denial. [John 18: 15-18; 25-27]
· The disciples scattering. [Matt. 26:56]
· The public humiliation of Jesus. [Luke 22:63-65]
· The crucifixion. [Matt. 27:32-56]
· The darkness over the land. [Luk 23:44-45]
· The earthquake and rocks splitting. [Matt. 27:51-52]
· The temple curtain torn in two. [Mark 15:38-40]
· Tombs opening and many holy people appearing after Jesus’ resurrection [Matt. 27:52-53]
· Rumours spreading through Jerusalem. [Matt. 28:13, 15]
· The silence of Saturday.
From what we read about their perspective and experience, nothing made sense. Friday was trauma. Sunday would be victory. But Saturday was confusion.
They were not counting down until Sunday morning. They were not saying, “Just one more day.” As far as they knew, the story was over. The One they had left everything to follow had died.
Maybe that is where you find yourself today.
You prayed… and God seems silent. You believed… and the miracle didn’t come. You trusted… and the person still died. You expected one outcome… and God chose another.
The disciples were not waiting for a resurrection. They were trying to survive a huge and very public disappointment. Even when it looked like Jesus had the perfect opportunity to change the outcome, He didn’t.
Passersby mocked Him with, “…come down from the cross and save yourself.” From a human perspective, that seemed like the obvious way to prove His power. But Jesus remained because the Father’s plan was greater than the crowd’s expectations.
You might be living in a “Saturday” season of life right now — when the cross has happened, the resurrection has not yet been seen, and all you can do is hold on to the One you don’t understand.
2010 to 2018 was like that for me. Eight years of infertility struggles taught me my Bible, discernment, and the unintentional hurt that can come from well-intentioned people whose hearts are mostly to encourage and help you feel better. Most of my 2025 could be summed up like that too.
But one thing you can hold on to in these “Saturday” seasons is this: they made it.
Those 11+ disciples made it through to Resurrection Sunday. They found a way to hold on to what Jesus had taught them, to remember that He had prepared them for His death and His resurrection, and we, as believers, are part of that testimony today.
Do not lose hope of your Resurrection Sunday. It is coming.
Even when your world is dark, shaking, breaking open old graves, and uncertain, hold on to what He has taught you and what you know about Him.
Jesus Himself knew what it felt like to experience apparent silence. On the cross He cried, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” [Matt. 27:46 NIV] Not because the Father had abandoned Him forever, but because in His humanity He entered the deepest experience of suffering.
When we endure our “Saturday” seasons, Jesus is not asking us to go somewhere He has never been. He has walked through the darkness Himself.