Most Righteous Lord, Your Word tells me that You descended into hell (the place where the souls of the righteous were confined since the time of Adam awaiting the coming of the Savior) to lead the captives free. Those words have shown me that You deeply care about everyone and Your desire is to rescue them all. As a result, no one is beyond Your reach. Throughout the scriptures, You have been reviled as the Conquering King. And, because of Your status, I now realize that believing You will rescue me today is as fitting as it was in times past. What is sad is that I’ve had to stand by and watch helplessly as people descended into a place where no human love, man-made prescription or psychotic intervention can help stop their fall … in a sense, into a private hell. I now believe that You alone, through Your resurrection, have found a way to overcome the chaos and darkness that lead people into their hell.
On the day you rose from the dead, You passed through the locked doors of the upper room to provide the Apostles with the consolation, comfort and peace they needed to go forward with Your message of hope and salvation. They were too frightened, depressed and wounded to open the door to anyone. In a sense, You descended into their hell, to reach them in their most vulnerable time. This is also true for the private hells into which even believers sometime descend. We reach a point where we to become too wounded, frightened and paralyzed to open the door and let others in to help. It’s a place where human care can no longer help their pain and Your intervention is required to deal with it. Only in Your power can the fear and hopelessness of our individual hell be released by a peace that is unspeakable and filled with joy. In You, order is restored, forgiveness is received and tender love can be found.
To accept the meaning of Your descent into hell gives me the hope, promise and understanding I need when I have encounters with hell. In illness, hurt emotions and trying circumstances, even I, can go down to a place where no matter how much love and effort is offered, seemingly there is no way to escape my pain and suffering. However, I must never forget that all is not lost. You can descend into any hell and rescue those of us who get ensnared. Your peace delivers me from the turmoil and chaos I find within myself and Your light chases away the darkness. I have come to appreciate what You meant when You said not to despair and lose hope when trials come upon me because You faced Yours and overcame them, so You will lead me in handling mine. In those words You assure me that in whatever hell I find myself, You will descend into it to rescue me. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Ephesians 4:10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above the heavens, that He might fill all things.