Luke 23:55-24:-3
And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

It must have been a very restless day of rest. In haste, Joseph had removed Jesus’ body from the cross and laid it in a tomb. In haste they had prepared the spices, but there had been no time to anoint the body before the Sabbath began. And they honored the Sabbath, but what grief, what sorrow, what confusion, what despair must have filled their hearts that day. Jesus was gone, and so all hope must have seemed lost. Jesus was dead, and what would they do? How would they carry on? What could happen?

But here was one thing they could do when that silent Saturday had passed. And so they went to complete their task and to anoint the body of Jesus, to give Him the proper burial they hadn’t been able to give Him before. They went with haste as soon as they could, but what they encountered was not what they expected to find. Here was the stone rolled away and a missing body, and so even this task must be left unfulfilled.

But what a glorious day it was. What a wonderful morning it would turn out to be. Because though they sought a dead body to anoint, they found instead a living Lord, a resurrected Savior, a King who had conquered death and sin. All hope was not lost, because Jesus yet lived, and He is our living hope. All joy was not lost, because they could rejoice in the life of Christ and the eternal life He offers to us. All peace was not gone, for Jesus would come once again into their midst and calm their troubled hearts. What a difference a day could make. How their lives would be changed forever.

So often we seem to dwell in that dark night, that in-between of uncertainty and loss and despair. And there is nothing we can do. There is just time to rest and reflect and hope and wonder. And then the day dawns and Jesus comes through every time. In Him is light and life and hope and truth and strength and wisdom and all we need to face what comes next.