Simply the Bible Blog

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. (‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22-23‬)

Once, as a child, my dad and I visited Shasta Caverns in California. Our guide took us down hundreds of feet deep into the recesses of the mountain to a large cathedral, perhaps 200 feet across. Then he turned out the lights. I had never been in such absolute darkness. It was darkness so thick that you could feel it. After taking time for our eyes to adjust, we still couldn’t see a thing. Then he lit a match. Suddenly the stalactites and stalagmites appeared like hundreds of congregation members standing in the cathedral.

Jeremiah was a prophet who lived in a time of spiritual darkness. The people had abandoned God; the country was falling apart; and Jeremiah was despised and ridiculed by almost everyone. Outwardly and inwardly, everything appeared hopeless. Yet in the midst of sorrow, Jeremiah found reason to praise God. In the deep darkness of his soul, the light of the Lord’s faithful love shown through.

When my dad passed away he had no money. After funeral expenses there was little left for burial. But he served in the Army Air Corps in World War II and qualified for a free burial plot in the veteran’s cemetery. The closest one available was in Portland, Oregon, 600 miles away but also his hometown. Oddly, I was already scheduled to be there for my aunt’s funeral. On the flight from Sacramento to Portland I was alone…and yet I wasn’t alone, for I have never felt the presence of the Lord so thick as I did that day. Throughout the trip, in ways too many to list, God showed me that He was in control and that His genius is demonstrated in the details. Just like that match-lit cathedral so many years earlier, I found subtle light illuminating my way through death’s darkness.

Maybe you have come to a season of darkness—darkness so thick you can feel it. May I encourage you to look for the light of His faithfulness? You may see it in a smile, in a warm embrace, in the face of a friend or relative you haven’t seen for a while. You may hear it in an encouraging word or whispered in the still small voice: “Don’t be afraid. I love you. I am with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I am still in control.” Then give God thanks for His tender mercies today…and His new mercies tomorrow.