Out of the Dark

Why is it as children we seem to be naturally afraid of the dark?  No one taught me how to be scared when the lights went out and my parents left the room…I just was!  I didn’t like being alone when the darkness engulfed the details of my most familiar things.  I can remember straining my eyes to see something, anything.  For whatever reason, since I couldn’t see, my imagination took it upon itself to decide what was in that dark corner.  What was behind the closet door that I forgot to shut?

Without God, our lives are filled with darkness.  We are lost.  Afraid. Searching. Fearing the unknown.  Our thoughts spiral down to the worst possible scenario and we see no escape from our troubles.  God brings light and hope to our lives.  His word is a lamp to our feet that guides our paths (Psalm 119:105).  In Isaiah 42:16, God tells the Israelites He “will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”  When we are afraid, He leads us.  When we are unsure of which path to take, He is our guide.  When we need help, He is present.  He will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).

When I was little and when the fear of the darkness got to be too much, I would call for my mom.  Just hearing her voice eased my fears.  I wasn’t alone.  When she entered the room and at last turned on the lights, the final exhale of breath I had been holding was released.  I cannot help but think we were born fearing the dark, but with that we were created to depend on God and the peace He offers when we call on Him to help us out of dark places.  He is the light that makes the darkness flee.  He is our refugee and resting place.