In Times of Darkness

I don’t like to travel through life in the darkness.  Do you?

It seems to me that we generally do not like the unknown.

When the way is flooded with light from the sun, ah! now we love that!

But when everything is visible, it is so much easier to get distracted by all that is around us.

We  see the beautiful scenery on our left and our right, and we are encouraged.

Or perhaps we see the monotony of sameness, farmland, field after field, or the unbroken plain, as we travel.  This can become a discouragement to us.

When we are traveling a road through the dark, all we can see is the light in front of us and that which it illuminates.

So, in a sense, the darkness helps us focus on that which is most important, the light, and the path directly in front of us on which we must walk (or drive).

The other night, I was driving home from our kids’ competition, and it was so dark around us. I felt like I couldn’t see properly. Something in me wanted to see more than I was able to see. I stopped and cleaned my glasses and then cleaned the windshield, but in the darkness, that was the best I could do.

I turned on my brights when I knew they would not bother other drivers, but whatever the lights illuminated, that was all I could see.

We don’t like to travel through life in the darkness.

• We want to see further ahead.
• We want to see that which surrounds us.
• We want to see that which stretches out onto the horizon.
• We don’t like scary surprises.
• The unknown makes us feel vulnerable.

But it is in the darkness that we see that which is the most important, the Light of the World.  Jesus.

Of course we have to look His direction to see Him properly. We can find Him in the pages of Scripture through faith.

And we won’t see Him very well if we turn our back on His light and peer into the inky darkness that should be behind us, not in front of our face.

The old saying “Seeing is believing” is not true in times of darkness. Instead, we find that believing is seeing.

Through faith, we open our eyes and focus our eyes in the darkness on that little bit of light that is before us, and take one more step. And when we can’t even do that, we wait in the darkness with the knowledge, that is also known as hope, that He will open our eyes to see His light in His own perfect timing.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  Psalm 23:4  ESV

“Even if I am afraid and think to myself, ‘There is no doubt that the darkness will swallow me, the light around me will soon be turned to night,’  You can see in the dark, for it is not dark to Your eyes.
    For You the night is just as bright as the day.
    Darkness and light are the same to Your eyes.”  Psalm 139:11,12   VOICE

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  Psalm 119:105

So, we can trust that

• He sees further ahead when we cannot,
• He sees that which surrounds us,
• He sees what stretches out on the horizon,
• He is not surprised by anything, and
• In our vulnerability, He will be our Fortress, our Strong Tower, our Safety!

Praise the Lord!

Linking up with:

Moments of Hope

Dance With Jesus

Spiritual Sundays

Faith Filled Friday

Fresh Market Friday

Faith ‘n Friends,  Grace & Truth

Warriors of the Word linkup

Heart Encouragement

Chasing Community

Grace Moments

Faith on Fire

Coffee for your Heart

Unite,  Ra Ra Linkup

Testimony Tuesday

Soul Survival,  Glimpses

Monday’s Musings