Bernie Dymet was a rich Australian businessman. He founded an IT firm at just the right time and his wealth portfolio went through the roof. However, he discovered that no matter how many homes he owned, or how many new cars he bought, or how much financial success he experienced, he was never truly satisfied. Even though he had everything money could buy, Bernie was utterly depressed and suicidal. Little did Bernie know, but God was much closer than he thought.
Bernie wrote, “I remember one night in 1995 in a Brisbane hotel, standing on the 8th floor balcony looking down at the concrete driveway below. I was being pulled in two directions. My loss and grief and desperation were calling me over the edge. But, God was calling me back inside. I went inside, knelt down at my bed and said, “Lord if you’re out there, now would be a really good time to let me know.”
Bernie opened the top drawer of the nightstand in his hotel room and found a Gideon Bible. Upon reading, he discovered Jesus and the hope of the Gospel. Bernie gave his life to Christ and finally found the God-shaped vacuum in his soul filled in a way that no amount of money ever could. Bernie renounced his business and started his own radio ministry in Australia, which today broadcasts the hope of the Gospel.
Bernie wrote, “When I think back to that turning point in the Brisbane hotel – I just shake my head in wonder. And that Gideon Bible played such a crucial role on my “Damascus Road,” in bringing me to Christ.”[1] (Watch Bernie's story by clicking here.)
Bernie’s dramatic turning point in that hotel room reminded me of a tiny detail I read about in 2 Kings 6. The Bible says that Elisha was staying in the town of Dothan when the Syrian army surrounded him (6:16). In that same scene, Elisha’s servant had his eyes opened to see the vast angelic army encircling them.
Dothan is only mentioned one other time in the Bible. The other occasion is Genesis 37. Dothan was the place where Joseph’s brothers tore off his coat of many colors, threw him into a pit and sold him to slave traders on their way to Egypt (37:17).
So the question is this--what's the connection between Joseph in Dothan and Elisha in Dothan?
In both stories, it appeared that God was very absent from the situation. Joseph had a hard time seeing God in the bottom of a pit. Elisha's servant had a hard time seeing God when they were outnumbered by enemy forces. But the reality is that God was very much present in both situations.
Dothan was a detour to get Joseph down to Egypt so that he could become Prime Minister. Likewise, Dothan was the place where God opened the eyes of Elisha's servant to see God’s presence. Joseph didn't get the lesson until he had hindsight. Elisha’s servant didn’t get the lesson until he got insight.
Bernie Dymet met Christ in a hotel room that was intended to be the place where he would end his life. But God was there in that dark place, just like he was in Dothan for Elisha and Joseph. With one eye we see our struggles, with the other we see by faith that God has a purpose for it all. One eye sees nothing but chaos. The other eye, the eye of faith, sees God working. Dothan is a reminder that we need to see God working both near and far! -DM
[1] Bernie Dymet, “How A Gideon Bible Literally Saved My Life,” <https://bernidymet.com/how-a-gideon-bible-literally-saved-my-life/>
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