Do you know anyone who’s been in the dark pits of life? Maybe it was you. Maybe the pit was more like an abyss where the silence of isolation was deafening and the terror was real. Some of us have endured unspeakable acts. Some of us have made bad decisions with dark consequences that can never be undone. Some of us are pushed into the depths of despair because of the decisions of someone else. The darkness is overpowering. The aloneness is unbearable. Fear rips us to shreds. We cry out for help. But no one answers.
Sadly, there are people we know who are in this place now. And we aren’t even aware of it.
Today, my thoughts and prayers are with those trapped in the depths of fear and despair. I also lift up people around the world that most of us don’t know about or rarely consider. People unjustly imprisoned and even enslaved. Young girls sold into slavery by their family for money. Young women abducted from their home country and forced into a life of prostitution across the border. People kidnapped and held for ransom or bribes. Men and women brutalized for their faith. People imprisoned in foreign countries in dangerous and squalid conditions we can’t begin to fathom. And the families left behind wondering what happened to their loved ones.
Whether here or abroad, so many people find themselves in the dark pits of real life. It’s hard to comprehend the overwhelming sense of helplessness and hopelessness in that place. Exhaustion sets in as night after night the same decision has to be made: give up or go on for one more day.
But always, if we lift our eyes to God, He will shine His light of hope into the depths of our real life.
“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’” Hebrews 13:5-6
God made a promise to us. To you and to me. He will never leave us. Ever. It may be hard to believe that God is in the dark places. But sometimes it takes darkness for us to see His light. He is there.
“The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison. I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed. Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in Him I put my hope.” Lamentations 3:19-24 (GNT)
If we hope in the Lord, He will redeem our brokenness for glory. He alone has the power to save. We don’t understand the evil in our world, but God’s will transcends every evil scheme. He proved it. Out of the excruciating torment of Jesus’ death on the cross, God revealed His ultimate plan for our reconciliation through the resurrection of Christ.
Good triumphs over evil.
We may not see God working in our dark places, but He is with us. Cry out to Him. Listen for His whisper of hope. Pray and plead His promises back to Him. As we wait for Him and cling to our hope in Him, He will work through us in the darkness. And the light of Jesus within us will be a beacon for others in that place.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills–where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
May I pray?
Almighty God, You are the God of hope. You alone are mighty to save. Father, please reach into the dark places and comfort those who are trapped in the depths of fear and despair. Let them feel Your presence in a powerful way today. Fill them with Your hope and Your light. Strengthen them with Your peace as they trust in You. And Lord, please break the chains of bondage that unjustly imprison. You know the names of those I’m praying for. Amen.
Q4U: What is one situation where you have seen good triumph over evil?