I’m sitting here this early morning - in the dark. And I’m asking the Lord what to write about for my next blog post. He has such a great sense of humor as the answer comes to me: the darkness.
So I did some digging for some scripture verses about darkness (and of course, light also chimed in!). Here is what I discovered; what was revealed to me:
The first thing I noticed in reviewing several passages is that darkness is not a permanent thing. It doesn’t have to be. There is another way.
For Job, the Lord brought light to the deepest gloom (Job 12:22). We can certainly agree Job knew about deepest gloom. But he is not alone in that, is he? Have you also been in such deep, dark despair?
Isaiah also speaks: for those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine (Isaiah 9:2) Another reference to deep darkness. Deep. Heavy. Suffocating. Blindness. And yet, again, a light WILL shine.
In the Message translation, Psalm 139, verse 12: Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!” What glorious news is that? You are not lost to God. No lost sheep here!
“I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare. (Isaiah 49:9)
The light shines in the darkness (it does!) and the darkness can never (never ever!) extinguish it. (John 1:5 emphasis mine)
I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. (John 12:46) Woo hoo! There is a way! You don’t have to REMAIN in the dark.
You can be rescued from the deep, heavy, suffocating, blinding darkness. Yay, God! But then what, you ask? Simply sit back and relax in the warmth and comfort of rescue?
If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light. (Luke 11:36)
Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble, then your light will shine out from the darkness. And the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. (Isaiah 58:10)
I’m going to be honest here. I need your light. After you have turned to the Lord in your darkness, and have received the relief that comes from trusting in Him, then I need you, or somebody nearby needs you, to shine that light given by Him as a testimony to uplift and support and build up our faith.
“Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” Romans 15:1-2 MSG
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