Daily Devotional

Sunsets are often popular to look at. There is a natural beauty as one watches the day sky turn to night, often bringing out some of the most beautiful colors in all of creation. Darkness sneaks in gradually and expectedly as the earth continues its lap around the sun. A solar eclipse, however, is not as easy to look at. For starters, you need a special device just to even be able to truly see it. Also, the darkness comes about more suddenly, crashing in, oftentimes throwing off the natural work rhythms of the day. In fact, it’s been said that some animals experience angst and depression during a solar eclipse because they’re not sure what’s going on. 

When we think about “darkness” in our lives, sometimes it comes in like a sunset. Gradually setting in as things get darker and darker. A loved one’s illness gets worse. A small argument grows into a painful rift. Other times, like a solar eclipse, the darkness appears almost out of nowhere. An unexpected tragedy occurs, or a betrayal steals the light from our day. As difficult as processing the darkness may seem, our encouragement is that we should be honest about our hurt.

In Lamentations, Jeremiah doesn’t sugarcoat his struggles. He starts chapter 3 by pouring out his grief to God. But even in the middle of his pain, Jeremiah says something powerful in verse 25, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him.” He wasn’t just saying “be happy” or “get over it.” However, he was making a deliberate effort to hope in God’s goodness. I once read that, “Hope is an act of rebellion against despair.” Life can be really painful. Jeremiah knew it, and so do we. But even still, darkness doesn’t last forever. Whether it slowly creeps in like a sunset or hits us unexpectedly like a solar eclipse, God is good, and our hope is in Him. 

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.