Run to the Light

Devotional

Day 1: When the Soul Feels Empty and Cold

Many times, life's burdens can leave us feeling utterly depleted, as if our very bones are frozen cold and there's no life left in our soul. This profound weariness can make the act of believing feel like an impossible task, even when our heart longs for it. It's a vulnerable place where we acknowledge our limits and the deep need for something beyond ourselves. Yet, even in this state, the desire to believe remains, a quiet flicker in the darkness. [01:15]

Isaiah 40:29-31 (ESV)
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Reflection: When you feel spiritually exhausted, what is one small way you might invite God into that weariness, even if you don't feel capable of believing fully?

Day 2: Nowhere Else to Go But to God

Sometimes, our deepest struggles leave us feeling trapped, unable to run from our pain or find an escape. In these moments, a profound realization can emerge: there is truly nowhere else to go. This isn't a surrender of defeat, but a recognition that the only path forward, the only true refuge, is found in turning towards the divine presence. Even when we feel most alone, this truth can guide us. [01:30]

Psalm 46:1-3 (ESV)
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

Reflection: In what area of your life do you currently feel most stuck or without options, and how might acknowledging "nowhere else to go" open a path toward God's presence?

Day 3: Afraid to Live, Afraid to Die, Yet Crying Out

There are seasons when fear can grip us so tightly that we find ourselves caught between the terror of living and the dread of dying. In this isolated space, tears may flow freely as we sit alone, overwhelmed by the weight of our emotions. Yet, even in this profound vulnerability, there is a deep, unspoken plea for help, a raw cry from the heart that God hears. This honest expression is a form of prayer. [01:30]

Psalm 34:17-18 (ESV)
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Reflection: When you feel overwhelmed by fear or isolation, what is one honest prayer you can offer to God, even if it's just a simple cry for help?

Day 4: Can We Trust What We Cannot See?

It is a fundamental human question: how can we place our trust in someone we cannot see with our physical eyes? This longing to believe, coupled with the struggle to grasp the invisible, is a common experience on the spiritual journey. It's in these moments of questioning that our desire for faith becomes most evident, prompting us to ask for divine assistance in bridging the gap between doubt and conviction. This yearning itself is a step toward faith. [01:52]

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Reflection: What specific doubts or uncertainties about God's presence or character are you currently wrestling with, and how might you invite God into those questions?

Day 5: No Place Too Hidden for God's Love

Sometimes, in our deepest pain or shame, we might feel as though we've retreated to a place so remote, so hidden, that no one, not even God, could possibly find us. This feeling of being beyond reach can be incredibly isolating. Yet, the truth of divine love is that there is no corner of our heart, no secret place of our being, where God's compassionate gaze cannot penetrate and find us. You are never truly lost to Him. [01:52]

Psalm 139:7-10 (ESV)
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

Reflection: In what area of your life do you currently feel most hidden or unseen, and how might you open a small space for God to meet you there?

Sermon Summary

A raw, anguished cry lays bare a soul exhausted by doubt and fear. The voice admits an inability to run, a body and spirit numbed—“bones are frozen cold”—and a desire to believe that cannot find the fuel to keep running. Alone and weeping, the petitioner confesses being trapped between an instinct to cling to life and a dread of dying, asking with trembling honesty whether trust in the unseen is possible. The words refuse spiritual polish; they are rough, immediate, and faithful to the biblical tradition of lament that brings the whole human condition into the presence of God.

The pleading exposes two truths: faith often arrives as a question rather than a proclamation, and God’s nearness is not always felt even when God is at work. Confession becomes the vehicle of prayer—declaring impotence, naming fear, and asking for help—because genuine relationship with God tolerates, even requires, unmasked vulnerability. The text implies that spiritual survival is less about manufactured confidence and more about remaining in the posture of dependence when conviction is absent. In that posture there is room for God’s patient, searching love to meet a hidden heart.

At the same time, the lament disrupts any tidy theology that equates spiritual feeling with spiritual health. Being unable to run does not equal final defeat; being afraid does not cancel the possibility of trust. The honest question, “Can I trust someone I can’t see?” becomes an invitation to a faith that persists under uncertainty and to a practice of asking for help as an act of courage. The closing of the cry—that there is nowhere else to go—is both confession and surrender: a recognition that the only true refuge is the One who can be sought even when unseen. Theologically, the moment calls believers back to the biblical rhythm of lament, petition, and waiting—trust not manufactured but steadily chosen amid the ache.

Key Takeaways

1. Bring honest doubt to God Faith is not invalidated by raw questions; it is refined when doubts are offered honestly to the One who can bear them. Naming unbelief is itself an act of faith because it refuses false assurance and invites divine engagement. Vulnerability opens a space where God’s grace can be both asked for and received. [01:15]
2. Stay present when feelings depart Remaining in the posture of dependence even without felt assurance trains the soul in persistence and hope. Presence before God is a discipline: staying, crying out, and refusing to flee builds a practice of trust that outlasts transient emotions. In such steadiness the heart learns to rely on God’s character rather than inner experience. [01:30]
3. Ask for help; trust can be learned Petition acknowledges weakness and invites transformation; asking “Can you help me?” is a humble step toward renewed trust. Trust often grows through repeated, needy requests that are met by a faithful God, not through sudden confidence. Hope deepens as dependence is practiced and answered over time. [01:52]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:20] - The Cry of Exhausted Faith
[01:15] - Bones Frozen: Confession of Powerlessness
[01:30] - Alone, Afraid to Live or Die
[01:52] - Questioning Trust in the Unseen
[02:10] - Petition: “Can You Help Me?”
[02:40] - Nowhere Else to Go: Surrender and Hope

Sermon Clips

``But I just can't run. And I want to believe, but I don't know what's left in me. Lord, I And my bones are frozen cold. There's no life left in my soul. But I can't run away because I have nowhere else to go. Here I sit alone and crying, afraid to live yet afraid of dying. Can I trust in someone that I can't see? [00:00:27] (70 seconds) #LostAndDoubtingFaith

But I just can't run. And I want to believe, but I don't know what's left in me. Lord, I And my bones are frozen cold. There's no life left in my soul. But I can't run away because I have nowhere else to go. Here I sit alone and crying, afraid to live yet afraid of dying. Can I trust in someone that I can't see? And I want to believe. Can you help me, please? There's no place that you can find me. [00:00:27] (85 seconds) #NowhereElseToGo

And I want to believe, but I don't know what's left in me. Lord, I And my bones are frozen cold. There's no life left in my soul. But I can't run away because I have nowhere else to go. Here I sit alone and crying, afraid to live yet afraid of dying. Can I trust in someone that I can't see? [00:00:31] (70 seconds) #TrustTheUnseen

but I don't know what's left in me. Lord, I And my bones are frozen cold. There's no life left in my soul. But I can't run away because I have nowhere else to go. Here I sit alone and crying, afraid to live yet afraid of dying. Can I trust in someone that I can't see? And I want to believe. Can you help me, please? There's no place that you can find me. [00:00:36] (77 seconds) #TrustAndRescue

Lord, I And my bones are frozen cold. There's no life left in my soul. But I can't run away because I have nowhere else to go. Here I sit alone and crying, afraid to live yet afraid of dying. Can I trust in someone that I can't see? And I want to believe. Can you help me, please? [00:00:40] (68 seconds) #FrozenSoulPlea