These days, humans have access to a mind-boggling amount of information. In many ways, this is great. We have an increasing amount of data and knowledge about the medical sciences, the human mind, the environment, and so many other areas.
However, this can sometimes make us over-confident. This over-confidence can cause us to think that we know more than God does. As a result, when we can’t see the future, or when we are enduring something we don’t understand, we can wrongly conclude that God is either incompetent or non-existent.
Corrie ten Boom is a well-known and inspirational Christian. She offers this bit of perspective for when we are experiencing difficult times: “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”*
What I appreciate about her words is that they push back against the over-confidence of our times. Since we think we’re so smart, we conclude that if we can’t see the reason for someone then a reason surely doesn’t exist.
In the context of faith, we can conclude that the presence of darkness must mean that God is either incompetent or non-existent. When we follow this line of thinking we “throw away the ticket and jump off [the train],” as ten Boom says. However, this is to think we know better than God, who in ten Boom’s analogy, is the engineer of the train.
Perhaps you know what it’s been like to go through a dark tunnel in the past. Perhaps you are in one right now. Perhaps you will go through one in the future. Whatever your situation, trust the engineer.
1 Timothy 1:17 is a word of praise about our God. It reminds us that he is greater than we could ever imagine: “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.” That’s who we trust. That’s who we follow. That’s who is driving the train.
“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”
Notes:
-*Corrie ten Boom. From the Corrie ten Boom Facebook page, May 16, 2026.
-Bible quotes are from the ESV.
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