Light up the dark!
… even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
Psalms 139:12 (NIV)
I was taking a walk with some of my family and part of our route took us through a long and very dark abandoned railway tunnel. It was so completely devoid of light that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, couldn’t see where the walls or roof were, and you certainly couldn’t see where the next puddle was – as we kept discovering!
It was quite a sensation to be walking in utter darkness, a total deprivation of one of the senses we rely on so completely, and to be honest, quite disconcerting. What was slightly amusing is that as other walkers came from the opposite direction, you had to be careful to stay out of their path through sound alone, and then offer up a ‘hello’ to a faceless person, only imagining what they looked like.
It struck me, as we walked through the tunnel, however, that nothing actually changes in the dark. The walls of the tunnel have stood there, unchanged, since 1859 and would stand there still for many more years. The ground underfoot was firm and secure, and the people I was with would be unchanged by the dark and would leave the tunnel exactly as they entered it. So, what was there to cause any discomfort?
I believe this is true in our spiritual walk too. We may face periods of complete and utter darkness, but in those times, if we hold on to the truths that don’t change in the dark, it gives us something to hold on to. The truth that Jesus abides in us (John 15:1-8 NKJV); Jesus is with us always (Matt 28:20); Jesus intercedes for us (1 John 2:1), and Jesus loves us (John 15:9-13).
So, as with physical darkness, so it is with spiritual darkness – fix your hearts on that which doesn’t change with the shifting shadows and the absence of light. Fix your eyes on the light that blasts the darkness away. It can be helpful to have a verse that you can remember and recite to yourselves in times of darkness – physical or otherwise. One such verse is John 8:12 (NIV), ‘When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” ’
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are all that is good and bright and beautiful. Thank you Lord for flooding our lives with light and love. Teach us to fix our eyes on you, the light of the world – no matter where we find ourselves, or what we are facing. In Jesus’ sweet name, Amen.
Study by Sinead Henderson
Sinead Henderson attends the Northampton congregation of Grace Communion International
Local congregation:
GCI Northampton
Ecton Village Hall
78A High Street
Ecton
Northampton
NN6 0QB
Local congregational contact:
Maggie Mitchell
Email: maggie.mitchell@btinternet.com
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church