Light in the darkness

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).

When do you do the bulk of your worrying?  My guess--after you’ve gone to bed and the lights are off.

Partly it has to do with having quiet time.  During the night the phone stops ringing.  During the night your spouse and kids are fast asleep, not pestering you for anything.  During the night your time becomes your own.  With the TV off and silence in the room, you are freed from distractions.  Your mind finally gets a chance to reflect on the events of the day.  You have time to sort out your feelings and reexamine your decisions.

But there’s another reason why you tend to worry after curling up in bed.  It’s dark.  Darkness ought to be soothing, but a lot of the time it becomes oppressive and scary.  In the darkness, unexplainable sounds can make you jump.  In the darkness, a hint of movement can seem threatening.  Darkness hides danger—and darkness is also depressing.  Alone in the dark, your fears get magnified.  When you’re shrouded in darkness, time can slow to a crawl.  Nights can be tough to get through when problems are on your mind.

In the Bible, darkness is often used as a metaphor to represent evil.  Light, of course, is the enemy of darkness.  Light reveals danger.  Light shines with hope.  Without light, beauty cannot be seen or appreciated.  In the Bible, light represents truth, life, and happiness.  Just as darkness symbolizes everything that is bad, light characterizes our God who is the source of everything good.

In the dark of night, fear can run away with your sleep and steal your peace of mind.  When this happens, you need light—the light that shines from Christ.  Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness (John 8:12).  The light that comes from heaven is so pure and so powerful that it drives away the darkness which haunts us.  The Bible says, God is light…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:5, 7).  When Jesus shines His love on you, everything dark gets pushed away.  If you can’t sleep, turn on the light by reading the Bible and praying to Christ.