The Power of Darkness

Elizabeth Elliot Devotional

When the chief priests, temple officers, and
elders came to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest
Jesus, they succeeded only because a sovereign
God permitted them to succeed. Jesus pointed out
that He was teaching daily in the Temple, yet
they never laid a finger on Him. Now they were
after Him with swords and staves. "But this is
your hour, and the power of darkness is yours"
(Lk 22:53 JBP). Who gave them that hour? Who
allowed them the power to capture Him? It was
God, without whose leave not even a sparrow can
fall to the ground. God is omnipotent, never
slumbering, just, righteous, and forever in
control. He was not taken by surprise. All was
working then, as it is always working, into a
pattern for good.

Our own difficulties often appear to be random.
Our tragedies look wildly uncontrolled. They are
not. They are subject. Limits are set. God is
quietly at work, standing in the shadows,
ceaselessly watching over His children.

"The light shines on in the dark, and the
darkness has never mastered it" (Jn l:5 NEB).