"And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour." (Mark 15:33)

"Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne." (Psalm 97:1-2)

May 7, 2026

Dear friends,

I'm writing this on our National Day of Prayer. As a nation we need God's mercy. We don't deserve it, but we need it, and for that reason may ask for it. And we need his wisdom. Many years ago Abraham Lincoln said, "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day." So we pray!

When we think of the darkness and moral confusion around us today, we may think that evil is firmly in control. Surely, this is what the disciples thought as Jesus hung upon the cross and the land descended into darkness for three hours. What was happening?? Or when the nation of Israel fell into the hands of her enemies? Or when Christians have been slaughtered by their persecutors down through the centuries? Our nation is not a Christian kingdom, but in my view, America has done much good with its laws, its system of government and justice, and its rich Christian heritage. American churches have sent many missionaries around the world. Is the sun setting on all of this? I do not know.

I was encouraged this morning with the two verses above. The three hours of darkness during Jesus' crucifixion did not indicate the triumph of evil, though it may have conveyed a sense of gloom and judgment to all who experienced it. No biblical explanation is given. At the very least, it may have been God's will to hide some of the suffering of his Son from us. As it says in Isaiah, "Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior." (Isaiah 45:15) What we do know is that soon afterwards Jesus breathed his last, and the temple veil was torn in two. Our redemption was fully accomplished and now is freely offered to all.

In Psalm 97, the "clouds and thick darkness" (v. 2) are preceded by "The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice..." (v. 1) And this is followed by, “righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around." (vv. 2b-3) The Lord rules, and his reign is based upon absolute righteousness, with justice, culminating in a complete judgment. There may be clouds and darkness for a time, but there is a permanent moral foundation behind all of history: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness..." (Psalm 45:6)

These truths may not always be clearly seen in the outworking of history. God's working may be hidden from us. This should be no problem for us, however, because we don't need to know everything (Deut 29:29). All may appear to be "darkness over the whole land" or "clouds and thick darkness". But we must remember that God has not changed, nor his purposes, nor his good and holy character. He is the Alpha and the Omega, who will make all things new in proper and due time. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne -- then, now, and forever. Christ is risen and reigning, and returning (soon?) to gather us, and to judge the living and the dead.

When a cloud hides the sun, or when nighttime comes, nothing about the sun has changed. God sometimes chooses to hide himself and his plans, but his righteous nature is unchanged. And so, we should do as missionary Lilias Trotter wrote in her journal many years ago — “Believe in the darkness what you have seen in the light.”

IN OTHER LINKS.

-- Redeem the Time: What Ben Sasse Teaches Us About Life, Death, and Politics.

-- Five key tenets of Karl Marx. His thought still influences people today.

-- Why Christians should read more poetry (specifically George Herbert).

FINAL QUOTE (a benediction).

"You go nowhere by accident. Wherever you go, God is sending you. Wherever you are, God has put you there. God has a purpose in your being there. Christ lives in you and has something he wants to do through you where you are. Believe this and go in the grace and love and power of Jesus Christ." (Rev. Richard Halverson, benediction at evening service, 4th Presbyterian Church, Bethesda, early 1970s)

That’s it for today. Pray on!

Sandy

Afterwords is an occasional newsletter on topics of interest to me (Sandy Young) since my retirement from full-time pastoral ministry. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.