“At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.” (Mark 15:33 NIV)
Jesus experience darkness, too. The Godhead in whom there is no shadow or turning allowed Himself to be plunged into darkness on our behalf. He knows what it’s like to have the lights go out. And I suspect that afternoon on the cross wasn’t the first time Jesus experienced darkness because He clearly knows how to make His way through it.
We will inevitably experience dark stretches on earth. There will be afternoons and even seasons of thick grief, pain and isolation. How we respond in those moments matters deeply.
Dear Jesus cried out to His Father in acute honesty. Though His words feel accusatory, His actions spoke belief. Jesus was sure that His Father was still near enough to hear Him.
Even on the cross, Jesus teaches us something powerful. When the lights go out, we keep talking to the Father. When we hurt, when we don’t understand, when we can’t see our way to the far side of our current despair — we stay in the conversation with the One who embodies light and love and truth. We exert trust in His good plan, even if it kills us, because we are convinced that there is something greater than all this living and dying.
“Though He slay me, I will trust in Him.” (Job 13:15 NIV)
Lord, we are comforted to hear how You prevailed in darkness. Thank You for living out an example of communication with the Father. Teach us to follow in Your footsteps; staying in the conversation even when we don’t understand it is painful to proceed. May we take You at Your word; confident in Your promise to never leave or forsake, ecstatic about the Kingdom Your building. Give us the courage to keep talking in the dark. See us through to the other side. Amen.