“Just because we don’t see Jesus doesn’t mean he isn’t right there with us, walking us through the dark places.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – January 14, 2024
by Pat Elsberry
God’s a safe-house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax; you’re never sorry you knocked. Psalm 9:9-10, MSG
It’s easy to trust God when everything is going well, but what about trusting him in the dark places when you can’t see where you’re going and don’t know where to turn. What do you do then? Wringing our hands or walking in fear and doubt isn’t usually fruitful.
Have you ever felt abandoned by God when you’ve gone through a challenging time and didn’t see him working on your behalf? The enemy may knock on our door and tell us it’s hard to trust God in the dark places. He implies that God isn’t there because we don’t see evidence of him answering our prayers. Satan would like for us to believe Jesus has left us high and dry. Just because we don’t see Jesus doesn’t mean he isn’t right there with us, walking us through the dark places.
This makes me think about the faith and boldness of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52. Even though Bartimaeus couldn’t see Jesus with his natural eyes, he knew he was coming and had faith in his ability to heal him. Imagine if he just sat there in the dark and didn’t trust what he knew to be true. He heard about Jesus, the Healer, and Bartimaeus had faith to step out with everything he had in him. When the people surrounding him told him to be quiet, what did he do? He refused to be silenced and only shouted louder, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.”
According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, pity means tender feelings for others in mercy or distress. If I’m distressed and walking through a challenging place, I want to be like Bartimaeus. I refuse to be silent or care about what others may think. I will cry out to Jesus and ask him to have mercy on me.
As we walk through this life, we will all encounter difficulties. We can be better equipped to handle these moments if we have stored the key to weathering all storms within ourselves – the word of God. The word is our weapon. It’s something you can immediately grasp hold of when you find yourself in a dark place.
We need to be just like the wise farmer who gleans his crop during harvest season and then stores some up in the barn for the hard, cold winter season. Trusting God in the dark places comes by spending time with Him and committing His word to heart. We cannot pour from an empty vessel. Like Bartimaeus, let us stand boldly on our faith and, when we need to, shout loudly, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”
“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:5).
Prayer
Lord, help me to remain faithful as I trust in you even when I don’t see you working on my behalf. Help me to store your word deep in my heart as your word truly is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Amen
Application
To help store up God’s word in your heart, consider writing down one scripture a week on an index card and committing it to memory.
Related Reading
Proverbs 3:5-6; Proverbs 18:10; Hebrews 4:16; John 14:1
Worship Resource
Lauren Daigle: Trust in You
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