What's Hiding in the Darkness?
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4 NIV)
When I was much younger, I used to watch the "X-Files" TV show regularly. I loved watching it back then. The only problem was, I would usually watch it in my college dorm TV room, or in a friend's seminary dorm room, which meant that I had to walk through darkness to get back to my room. A dark hallway, or dark outside, never seemed more frightening than after watching "X-Files."
What was scariest, however, was not the darkness itself I had to face, but the fear that something would jump out at me from the darkness and attack me. Silly as it sounds, because that was frequently something that would happen on the show, that's what I was afraid of - that something was hiding in the darkness that would suddenly jump out and try to hurt me. And, frequently, whenever we have to face any kind of darkness, whether literal or figurative, that is actually more of what we are afraid of - not so much the darkness itself, but what might be hiding in it. We are afraid not of the darkness, but what might surprise us in an unpleasant way.
That is what many of us are going through during this pandemic. There is a lot of uncertainty in this darkness. We call it darkness because we cannot see exactly what lies ahead. We are afraid of what we may hear from our state and federal governments next, and what directives may impact our lives. We are afraid of how much more this pandemic could possibly disrupt our lives more than it has. We are afraid of the consequences of social distancing, especially not being able to visit with family and friends on a regular basis. We are afraid of the possibility of having our pay cut, or having to lose a paycheck entirely. We are afraid of how to balance work and family life, especially as our children are home from school. We are afraid of whether we will be able to complete our education, undergo testing, and be admitted to college or graduate school. We are afraid of having to cancel vacation plans. And, most of all, we are afraid of coming into contact with someone carrying the virus, and contracting the virus ourselves - and having it be fatal. There is a lot of fear, because we are uncertain of what lies ahead, and what could happen next.
But there is good news, which the Psalmist reminds us of: we are not alone. God is with us. Jesus died on the cross, and rose again, to seal the promise God gives us: that He is always with, will never leave us alone, and will bring us safely through whatever we are going through. He does not cause such things as we are going through to happen, but He does promise to bring us through them. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and so He knows exactly what we need in any and every situation. He knows how we are afraid, and how we are suffering, and so He is always there to provide us with everything we need. We can rely on Him for protection and to care for us, because He really does care for us. God is love, and His nature is love. He cares for us because He made us, and He has promised not just to be with us, but to be actively involved in our lives.
Also implied in the Psalmist's words are the fact that going through dark "valleys" are inevitable. Life is not perfect, which means we will face times of darkness and uncertainty. This is certainly the first sort of pandemic many of us have faced in our lifetime, but it is not the first, and will not be the last, sort of catastrophe any of us have faced or will face. Nevertheless, the promise is still true: God is with us, God is guiding us, God loves us, and God cares for us. Even though we cannot see what lies ahead, even though we may be afraid of what may be hiding in the darkness, we know God will protect us, and will provide for us.
Dear God, thank you for being with me at every moment. Guide me through whatever darkness I may be going through right now, protect me from fear and danger, because I believe you will bring me safely through it all. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4 NIV)
When I was much younger, I used to watch the "X-Files" TV show regularly. I loved watching it back then. The only problem was, I would usually watch it in my college dorm TV room, or in a friend's seminary dorm room, which meant that I had to walk through darkness to get back to my room. A dark hallway, or dark outside, never seemed more frightening than after watching "X-Files."
What was scariest, however, was not the darkness itself I had to face, but the fear that something would jump out at me from the darkness and attack me. Silly as it sounds, because that was frequently something that would happen on the show, that's what I was afraid of - that something was hiding in the darkness that would suddenly jump out and try to hurt me. And, frequently, whenever we have to face any kind of darkness, whether literal or figurative, that is actually more of what we are afraid of - not so much the darkness itself, but what might be hiding in it. We are afraid not of the darkness, but what might surprise us in an unpleasant way.
That is what many of us are going through during this pandemic. There is a lot of uncertainty in this darkness. We call it darkness because we cannot see exactly what lies ahead. We are afraid of what we may hear from our state and federal governments next, and what directives may impact our lives. We are afraid of how much more this pandemic could possibly disrupt our lives more than it has. We are afraid of the consequences of social distancing, especially not being able to visit with family and friends on a regular basis. We are afraid of the possibility of having our pay cut, or having to lose a paycheck entirely. We are afraid of how to balance work and family life, especially as our children are home from school. We are afraid of whether we will be able to complete our education, undergo testing, and be admitted to college or graduate school. We are afraid of having to cancel vacation plans. And, most of all, we are afraid of coming into contact with someone carrying the virus, and contracting the virus ourselves - and having it be fatal. There is a lot of fear, because we are uncertain of what lies ahead, and what could happen next.
But there is good news, which the Psalmist reminds us of: we are not alone. God is with us. Jesus died on the cross, and rose again, to seal the promise God gives us: that He is always with, will never leave us alone, and will bring us safely through whatever we are going through. He does not cause such things as we are going through to happen, but He does promise to bring us through them. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and so He knows exactly what we need in any and every situation. He knows how we are afraid, and how we are suffering, and so He is always there to provide us with everything we need. We can rely on Him for protection and to care for us, because He really does care for us. God is love, and His nature is love. He cares for us because He made us, and He has promised not just to be with us, but to be actively involved in our lives.
Also implied in the Psalmist's words are the fact that going through dark "valleys" are inevitable. Life is not perfect, which means we will face times of darkness and uncertainty. This is certainly the first sort of pandemic many of us have faced in our lifetime, but it is not the first, and will not be the last, sort of catastrophe any of us have faced or will face. Nevertheless, the promise is still true: God is with us, God is guiding us, God loves us, and God cares for us. Even though we cannot see what lies ahead, even though we may be afraid of what may be hiding in the darkness, we know God will protect us, and will provide for us.
Dear God, thank you for being with me at every moment. Guide me through whatever darkness I may be going through right now, protect me from fear and danger, because I believe you will bring me safely through it all. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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