Daily Devotional for Saturday, May 23

The Total Darkness

“And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour,” Luke 23:44.

As Jesus hung on the cross, an unnatural darkness fell over the earth from noon until three in the afternoon. It was as if all of creation mourned as the Light of the World was being extinguished. This was not an eclipse or a passing storm; it was a deep, heavy darkness that symbolized the weight of sin being laid upon the sinless Son of God. 

In Scripture, darkness often represents judgment, separation and sorrow. At Calvary, this darkness marked the hour when Jesus bore the full wrath of God for the sins of the world. The earth trembled under the burden. Heaven seemed silent. The Light who had healed the sick, raised the dead and taught the way of love was now suffering, seemingly abandoned. 

But the darkness was not the end. It was the beginning of redemption. Jesus endured the darkness so that we could walk in the light. He was forsaken so that we might be forgiven. The total darkness reminds us of the seriousness of sin, but it also highlights the greatness of God’s love—a love that would go to the darkest place to bring us back to Himself. 

When we face dark seasons in our lives, we can remember that Jesus is no stranger to darkness. He entered it willingly for our sake and conquered it through His resurrection. The light of His love now shines even brighter because of what He endured. 

The total darkness at the cross is a solemn, sacred reminder: we are deeply loved, and the price of our salvation was beyond measure. 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY 

Even in the darkest hour, God was working His greatest miracles.

Steven Ridings