Walking in the Dark

When I was a child, I would wake up in the middle of the night occasionally needing to use the bathroom. Sometimes I would keep my eyes closed, pretending I was blind, feeling my way to the bathroom. I had read about Helen Keller and wondered if I could handle being unable to see. I always made it just fine to the bathroom--no stubbed toes or bumped head. I felt so proud of myself. I could handle blindness. But the difference between me and Helen Keller was that I could see. I knew where the door handles were, how far down the hall the bathroom was from my bedroom. I saw these things every day. It's easy to get along when everything is in sight and in the light.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if our Christian walk were like that--that we could always see things and could control when we couldn't see? But it isn't. Sometimes we can't see a thing. So what do you do when you're trying to fend your way in the darkness?

"Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God" (Isaiah 50:10b).

Sometimes all we can do, when there is no light, is walk in the dark and trust that God will guide us through it. He'll guide us around the sharp corners and cushion the walls that we do run into.

When I was a child, trying to reach the bathroom with my eyes shut, I always had my hands outstretched, feeling for the walls and door handles to guide me. When you are walking in the dark with God, you don't have to rely on inanimate objects. Your outstretched hands will be grasped by your Father, and He will lead you along the way, no matter what surrounds you. Just reach out to Him. Don't waste your time feeling around for things that won't do you much good.

I hope this message ministers to someone today. Remember that when you're in the dark, it doesn't have to be a bad thing. God is right there in the dark with you.