THE UNSEEN WORK
Sarah Sloan
Today's Scripture: “And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late.’” Mark 6:35, ESV
Theme: Jesus does His greatest work in desolate places.
THE MATRIX
Years ago, I clearly remember the movie “The Matrix” being released. As I sat there watching this alternate reality unfold, I was blown away. Everything within the Matrix was in stark opposition to the visible world: reality at war with the preconceived notions of the masses. Unseen forces fought while most of humanity lay in a trance-like state.
I couldn’t watch the Matrix without seeing parallels between the movie and what the Bible tells us about the unseen spiritual world that is all around us. In the Bible, we see that the spiritual world is also in stark opposition to the realities of our visible world. In God’s dichotomy, the weak are strong, the last is first, the servant is the master, and the end is just the beginning. In the story that God writes, it is when all hope seems lost, the hero has fallen, and darkness descends that true victory is won.
HIS GREATEST WORK
In the desolate places of our lives, God does His greatest work. It’s during the storm that He is walking on the waters. It is as enemy armies are closing in on the Israelites, and there is no escape, that He parts the Red Sea. It is when Paul and Silas are persecuted for their faith, singing in the jail cell, that God breaks their prison bars open. It is when you are surrounded, like the prophet Elisha and his servant, that God will open your eyes to see the unseen spiritual world and His vast angel armies, who are ready to do battle on your behalf. And most importantly, it is when our Savior lies dead and buried that sin is vanquished and death is destroyed.
TRUTH THAT GIVES HOPE
The truth of this should mean everything to us. It should bolster us, knowing that when we are in desolate places, when we are in the battle, struggling with hardships surrounding us, that God is fighting on our behalf. He is for us. Wake up, sleeping masses, to see that there is more at stake than what is evident through the lens of our temporal reality. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 ESV).
Make It Personal: You may be in a “desolate place” today. Or maybe just one area of your life feels desolate and hopeless. God does not see it that way. Nor is He worried, powerless, or inattentive. Take your fear and broken pieces to Him. Look to God for His coming rescue.
Pray: God, help me not to lose heart, even now, when I feel faint and weary. Help me in the times when I feel like there is no way out. Help me to see that You are surrounding and sustaining me. There is no place too dark or desolate for You. There is no thing You haven’t already conquered. Help me “look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV). In Your Name I pray. Amen.
Read: Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, 10:3-5; 2 Kings 6:14-17
Weekly Memory Verse: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8, ESV