Tearfund: Lent Devotional 39

The descent

‘Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.’ (Genesis 1:2)

There was no light. It hadn’t been created yet. The waters were deep and utterly dark. Yet God was lingering there, ready, waiting in anticipation.

What do dark waters symbolise? Chaos. Sadness. Fear. Emptiness. Loss. Doubt. Loneliness. Despair. The Good Fridays of life.

There is a concept in ancient literature called katabasis. It means to make a descent in order to gain understanding. Because the ancients understood something that perhaps we have forgotten: the most profound truths aren’t necessarily found at the top of a mountain – they’re more often than not at the bottom of a pit.

You’ll know this from your own life. Think about the events that have shaped you. They won’t be stories of plain sailing; they’ll be stories of challenge, stories that have a little darkness in them. Good Friday stories.

Live long enough and you will know a time when there was no light. Maybe you are experiencing such a time now. What if God was lingering in that darkness; hovering above the waters; ready to make something new?

Christ who was crucified, Christ who is there in the darkness, make your presence known to me. Give me peace while I wait for the moment you say, ‘Let there be light.’ Amen.

Gideon Heugh
Gideon writes for Tearfund and is a poet and environmentalist.