Reflection: Light in the Darkness

“If grief or hopelessness is overwhelming me;

If sin, darkness and death are snapping at my toes—scheming to trip me;

If I’m bruised by temptation and feel like hiding from you;

If the kingdom of darkness seems to be winning;

You penetrate every one of those dark places

Because, Light of the World, you’ve kicked up the same cursed dust.”

Author’s paraphrase of Psalm 139:11-12

Oh, and the fog does move in. (Maybe there’s the whine of a single stringed instrument here.)

Seasons of darkness and angst—you can count on them. Seasons where it’s hard to put words to prayer. Or if you have words, they’re tainted with Satan’s untruthful taunts: “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me.” (v11) In our broken world no one escapes the curse of sin; the reach of the ‘father of lies’ (John 8:44).

But here come the vitamins. Here plays out the habit of truth-telling: Dream up any frontier—time, distance, darkness; any place you think God might not be—sin, evil, death. Nowhere is beyond the reach of our all-knowing God! “…Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you”, says David. (v12)

Glimmers of that darkness-defying light flicker through God’s epic story but a favourite of mine is a quivering male solo. It’s old-man-Zechariah’s prophetic song. It’s a song that foretold the lifting fog—the coming of the long-awaited Messiah.

“Because of God’s tender mercy the rising sun will come to us from heaven to stream on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Author’s paraphrase of Luke 1:77-79).

Prayer:

If we—untrusting, stray or are tempted to hide, you, Lord, remain knowing, trustworthy and present. Jesus Christ, Light of the world, blaze! Laser us from the hand of our enemies, enabling us to serve you without fear in holiness and righteousness… all our days.