Tunnel ahead

You're driving along a mountain highway on a cloudless day. You round a curve and see this sign: Turn on Headlights, Tunnel Ahead. Two minutes later, you enter the tunnel.

The sun was shining before you entered the darkness. It will still be shining when you exit. Inside the tunnel, your eyes tell you the sun has stopped shining. Don’t believe them. The sun continues shining the whole time you're passing through darkness: you just can't see it.

You may not like driving in the dark, but you must keep pressing forward to get to your destination. You realize the folly of trying to turn around or back up in a tunnel.

If the tunnel is long, you may begin to wonder whether it ever ends. It does. But if you get discouraged, stop, turn off the engine and wait, you’ll never reach the daylight – and an unsuspecting driver will probably rear-end you.

To see the sun again, you must keep your seat behind the wheel while your car continues to move forward. Your headlights must continue to function. If your headlights go out or if you begin feeling claustrophobic and try to jump from the car, you're in serious trouble.

All road trips aside, you may be driving along in the sunshine. Your skies have few clouds. You can easily see the light and feel the warmth of God's love.

Then, abruptly, you enter a tunnel. Suddenly in the dark, you have no idea how far to the other end. If the light doesn’t reappear quickly, you may wonder if the tunnel has another end. Much as you might wish to do so, you cannot turn around or back up.

You don't like driving in darkness. The deeper it gets, the longer it lasts, the less you can feel God’s love.

In the days before people drove anywhere, a prophet named Jeremiah went through a long, dark tunnel time. In the midst of it, he wrote: “There's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: GOD's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with GOD (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left” (Lam 3:21-24 MSG).

In the tunnel, Jeremiah kept reminding himself, “The sun of God's love still shines!” – though for the life of him, the prophet could not see it or feel its effects.

Jeremiah believed he would one day move out of the tunnel into the full glow of sunlight again, and he recognized the secret to getting there. Jeremiah declared, “GOD proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks” (Lam 3:25 MSG).

In your tunnel times, remember this: Be still . . . and keep moving. Instead of trying to bolt and run, “passionately wait” on the Lord, sitting tight like a driver behind the wheel. Even when you cannot see it or feel it, know that once you’re in Christ, nothing can separate you from his love.

While resting in the Lord, resist the urge to park. Your destination lies on the far side of the tunnel. Keep your foot on the accelerator, your hands on the wheel and “diligently seek” to go through to the other side.

Be still; keep moving. Passionately wait; diligently seek. From the moment you see a sign, “Tunnel Ahead,” those twin headlights will keep you on track till you break out into the sunlight again.

© 1994, 2008 Deborah P. Brunt. All rights reserved.