The Marvel movie, “Dr. Strange,” is visually stunning but also echoes some Bible narrative. In one scene, the title character is literally tossed out of the mystical healing center. At the end of his rope, he beats on the door to be let back in. Through his sobs he cries, “There’s nowhere else to go.”
I immediately thought of a discouraged Peter and his reply to Jesus. "Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life." John 6:68
Peter wasn’t sure yet who Jesus really was, but he did know that there wasn’t anywhere else that offered any hope. Hundreds of years earlier, Daniel’s friends made a similar declaration to Nebuchadnezzar.[1] They weren’t sure if God was going to save them, but even so, they would serve only Him. David, hunted and hiding, declares over and over where his rescue is found.
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. Psalm 62:1-2
There are numerous examples of distressed people reaching out to Jesus as the only hope. The blind man desperately calls to Him from the road as He passed[2], “Have mercy on me.” The bleeding woman risked shame and rejection just to grab His tassel and be healed.[3] The friends of a paralyzed man dig through a roof[4] because this was their only chance. The Canaanite woman isn’t supposed to be near a Jew let alone speak to him, but with no hope anywhere else she pleads for a crumb[5] - that Jesus would heal her daughter.
I bring my wants and needs to God but sometimes I vainly hold on to hope in other things, including my own abilities. But when circumstances become harsh and desperate, all pretense gets stripped away and I see things more clearly. The reality is that God alone is the source of truth, of peace, of healing, of very life. May it not take desperation to see it plainly. There is nowhere else to go.
I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Psalm 142:5
[1] Daniel 3
[2] Luke 18
[3] Mark 5
[4] Mark 2
[5] Matthew 15
