On those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. —Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)
We were attending a support group to learn how best to help our son who was suffering from depression. Truth be told, I was getting depressed myself because I was finding it harder to hold on to hope as time wore on. I posed the question “How do you help someone to see a glimmer of hope?”
One member said, “A while back I went on a tour of the prison on Alcatraz Island. They showed us the solitary confinement cell. The tour guide said that, if we wanted, we could go into the cell and he’d close the door for a moment, so we could get a feel for how dark it is in there. I went in with a few other tourists, and when he shut the door it was totally black. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Then when the guide started to open the door again, even just that tiny crack of light made all the difference in the world.”
The next day I found myself trying to muster enough faith to pray for the progress I was beginning to doubt would ever happen.
RELATED: BIBLE VERSES FOR DEPRESSION
Then I remembered the solitary confinement door being opened and how even the tiniest sliver of light penetrates the darkness. The greater it was, the less light was needed to transform it.
It was okay that I didn’t have a huge amount of faith to keep on praying. All I needed was enough to pray for a small glimmer of hope.
God, I think I have enough faith today to make a difference in this darkest of times. Thank You.
Digging Deeper: Psalm 112:4, John 1:1–5
