Mark 15:33-37
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

Truly that was the darkest day. This day had entailed an unjust trial, a rigged sentencing, the torture of scourging, the pain of crucifixion, and the added agony of those moments where the Father turned away from the Son. There was Jesus bearing the pain, the weight of the world, all of our sin, and the sun would shine no light upon that gruesome scene. Sorrow fell upon the world as the perfect Lamb was slain. His followers mourned. All hope seemed lost. Truly it was the darkest day.

And if that were the end of the story, it would be most tragic, indeed. But a new day dawned with the brightness of the sun—the brightness of the Son—and spread hope to all, life to all, newness to all. Jesus said He is the light of the world, and so He overcomes the darkness. He said He is the resurrection and the life, and so He overcomes death. He is our great Savior over sin and sorrow. And so we do have hope in the one who overcomes all that seems hopeless.

I may get to my own darkest day. But with Jesus, that doesn’t have to be the end of the story. My deepest sorrow can be transformed into joy. The deepest darkness gives way to light. New life can come to the lifeless places. Jesus did die, but He rose again, and so there is nothing in this world and nothing in my life that is beyond His power.