Dark Day, Bright Hope!

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
—Psalm 20:7

Scripture ReadingsPsalm 20 – A prayer for deliverance and trust in God, not in human power.
Habakkuk 3:2-15 – A vision of God’s power and justice, bringing salvation through divine action.
Luke 18:31-34 – Jesus foretells His suffering, yet His disciples do not understand.

The Final Journey BeginsToday’s devotion is the last before we step into the final journey of Holy Week—the betrayals of Maundy Thursday, the suffering of Good Friday, and the silence of Holy Saturday. Rome will use violence to try to silence Jesus. The religious authorities will conspire, the crowds will turn, and even His closest friends will falter. Yet, through it all, God is working redemption.
Habakkuk’s vision reminds us that God is not absent in the face of injustice. Though the world seems overrun with corruption and cruelty, God is still acting, bringing salvation in ways we cannot always see. Jesus tells His disciples that He must suffer, but they do not yet understand. How could they? The idea of a Messiah who suffers rather than conquers is utterly foreign to them.
Yet, this is the heart of the atonement—that Jesus enters into suffering to redeem it. Fleming Rutledge, a scholar of atonement theory, reminds us:
“The crucifixion is the most important historical event that has ever happened. It is the unique instance of God’s self-giving to the uttermost, the moment when the Creator enters into the deepest abyss of human suffering, shame, and death, in order to transform it forever.”
The powers of this world—the chariots and horses of Psalm 20—cannot bring true salvation. Only the cross does that.

The Silence of Death, The Voice of ResurrectionWhen Christ is crucified, it will seem that God has been silenced. But the resurrection will declare what Paul so powerfully affirms:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
—Romans 8:38-39
In the sin of violence, Christ is crucified for all of us, so that we may know, without a doubt, that even death cannot separate us from God’s love. The world’s violence cannot silence God’s voice. The resurrection is the final and eternal answer to every betrayal, every injustice, and every suffering we endure.

How Shall We Respond?

1. Trust in God, not earthly power.
   
   • Psalm 20 warns us against placing our hope in rulers or military might. When the world feels unstable, we must remember that true security comes from God alone.
     
2. Stand firm in the face of darkness.
   
   • Like Habakkuk, we may look around and see injustice. But God is still moving. Even when all seems lost, we hold onto hope.
     
3. Prepare for the cross, but look to the resurrection.
   
   • Jesus calls us to take up our own cross. This Holy Week, we walk with Him in sorrow so that we may rise with Him in joy.
     

Lenten PrayerLord of suffering and salvation,
As we enter the darkest days of the church year,
Help us to trust not in the powers of this world,
But in Your boundless love,
Which no betrayal, no violence, not even death can overcome.
Prepare us to face the cross,
And open our hearts to the glory of the resurrection.
Amen.

Friends, I thank you for allowing me to share my Lenten preparation with you.  May you face all your days with courage and hope!
​Lorne