Sitting in the Dark

Sitting in the Dark


I awoke yesterday morning to a tumultuous thunderstorm rumbling through the area where I was staying for my annual prayer retreat. The thunder was so loud at times I thought the skies would be split wide open. The foundation of the house shook, the window panes rattled, and the rain pummeled the walls and roof.
I got out of bed and cooked an early breakfast before settling in for prayer and devotions. I was lost in fellowship with the Lord when the lights began to flicker and eventually they dimmed completely when the electricity went out. It was early in the morning with barely any natural light piercing the darkness complicated by the overcast skies from the storm outside. I found myself sitting in the dark for a couple of hours.
It was too dark to read even when sitting near the windows. I picked up my copy of our church membership roll and made my way to a couch located near three large windows. I strained to read each name through the shadows. My only option was to pray. I could not even see to write in my prayer journal so I nestled myself on the couch and name by name and family by family I began to intercede on their behalves.
Before long I had prayed through the list and was thanking God for the darkness and the stillness of that moment. I thanked the Lord for the retreat that had been made available for me to retreat to. I thanked God for the moisture on the land to replenish the earth. I was grateful for the coolness of the day leaving the temperature inside the cabin comfortable without the air conditioning or ceiling fans working. I thanked the Lord for the special people He has put into my life over the years. I enjoyed sweet communion with the Lord during those hours in the dark.
I am not sure how long I was in that prayer time. Time became irrelevant as I sat in the dimness with the Lord. Outside the storm raged on with ferocity. Inside I experienced a tranquility of the soul that defies description. Outside there was dangerous lightening, thunder, rain, and wind. Inside there was the awesome presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and the peace that goes beyond comprehension. It was a beautiful time.
As I write this I have returned from my retreat and am sitting at my desk in Paradise, TX. When I think back on that time my heart has become burdened that millions are sitting in the dark spiritually. They have no hope. No direction. No peace. No future. They have no refuge from the storms that rage around them. These are people who have either rejected the hope of Jesus Christ or who have never heard of the hope He offers.
Millions are trapped in the domain of darkness and cannot figure out why they can’t find peace no matter how hard they search or to what extremes they are willing to go to find it. The truth is they are looking in all the wrong places. Life continues to pound these people as they sit in spiritual darkness. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world, he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” [Jn 8:12]
Multitudes upon multitudes sit in darkness, they walk in darkness, and they live in darkness. Life does not work for them. They pursue happiness which continually eludes them. Solomon experienced this first hand when he wrote, “All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.”[Eccl 2:10-11]
When the electricity went out I was in a two bedroom rustic cabin nestled among the trees. Yet, not far from where I was staying was a very large five bedroom and three bath house. When the lights went out, we were all sitting in the dark regardless of economic status, luxurious accommodations, or primitive lodging. So it is with people spiritually. Riches, fame, power, do not offer true direction in life more than those who dwell in poverty, obscurity, or the weak.
Jesus Christ is the light of the world. All of the world. He alone can give life meaning if we are willing to follow Him. There is the catch. People begin to squirm when challenged to follow Christ. Many do not know want to go where He is leading. Following Christ is more about a lifestyle than a destination. He wants all of our days surrendered to Him and His purposes. That may appear frightening but the truth is it is liberating. Just like I did not fear the storm while I remained in the safety and shelter of that cabin, neither do I fear the storms of life because Jesus Christ is able to illuminate even the darkest hour or circumstance with hope when His refuge is sought.
Jesus said He was the light of the world. That means your world too. He is available for comfort, strength, security, peace, and shelter in your world right now regardless of what you are going through. He is light even in the middle of cancer, divorce, death, stress, financial set backs, and when you feel like you are drowning in a sea of despair. Run to the Light. Warm up in His glow. Embrace His direction as He illuminates the path and your next steps.
Following Jesus means letting Him go first and falling in behind Him to accompany Him wherever He goes. How many have fumbled through life hoping they are making the right choices about whom they marry, where they work, what house they live in, how to raise their children, how to manage their money, and how to plan for the future. It can all seem like a big gamble and throw in the tumult of daily trials and everything can seem disorienting. That is because living life apart from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is like a person groping in the pitch black darkness trying to find their way through a forest. They might make a little progress but they will fall, be tripped up, stumble, and scraped along the way and could very easily get disoriented and remain lost and unable to find their way. Jesus is our light to navigate our way through the forests, over the mountains, across the oceans, and from the beginning to the end of deserts in this life.
In Him we have the Light of Life. In Him we have the reason of mind and the power of understanding at our finger tips. He is our advantage for He knows the way. He is the author and perfector of our faith. [Heb 12:2] I may have sat in the dark for a couple of hours yesterday morning but I do not have sit in spiritual darkness because He has been, continues to be, and forever will be my Light of life.
If you have never started a personal relationship with Him, why not start today. You don’t have to have a magic formula or fanciful prayers to do this. Just cry out to Him for help and rescue while you sit in the domain of darkness. He will come to our rescue and bring you into the Kingdom of His marvelous light. [Col 1:13-14]