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Living in Nowhere
A Word from Pastor Mark
People have such imaginations when choosing names for their cities. Some name cities after famous people like Charlottesville, or St. Augustine. Others choose names describing their hope for the future like Philadelphia – the City of Brotherly Love. But there is one place mentioned in the Bible that leaves me scratching my head. It is the city of Lo Debar. It means “nowhere.”
Can you imagine an Old Testament Jew with a wry smile saying to himself, “I live in the middle of nowhere, so I think I’ll call my home ‘Nowhere.’” Talk about living in the sticks! Here was a person living “off the grid” before there was a grid!
Have you ever been to a place like this? You thought you knew what you were doing in life and now you find yourself stuck in nowhere-land. Your life and dreams have seemed to end with a thud, and you don’t really know how you got here.
There is good news. The Lord knows where you are. Really! Even when you seem stuck in nowhere! In 2 Samuel 9 there was a royal grandchild of King Saul whose name was Mephibosheth. At some point in his childhood he was dropped, and both of his feet were injured so that he couldn’t walk. In 2 Samuel 9 we find him as a royal orphan because his grandfather Saul and father Jonathan were both killed in battle. And the text tells us that he lived in—you guessed it—Lo Debar.
So here is an adult orphan who can’t walk, living in the city of Nowhere. Doesn’t that sound discouraging? But the Lord saw Mephibosheth and guided King David to remember his commitment to his best friend Jonathan. David found Jonathan’s son, restored his inheritance, and brought him to live in the royal palace. He would eat at David’s table the rest of his life! What a transformation!
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, God transfers our residence from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His Son. And while in this moment you may think that you are stuck in nowhere-land forever, there is a place in heaven—beyond your imagination—waiting for you. Take heart – the King knows right where you are.
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