When in the cellar, walk towards the light

When we lived in Cincinnati, we had a basement that was REALLY dark and, to complicate matters, the main light switch was at the top of the stairs.  All too often, someone on the first floor would switch off the basement lights, thinking that they had just been left on, when indeed, there was someone actually down there.   And then the person below would be PLUNGED into deep darkness. 

 

I told the girls that when that happened, don’t just stand there yelling for someone to turn on the lights.   Look for what light there is and “walk towards the light.”  That little teeny bit of light coming from the stairwell was where they could find their way out.

 

Most likely, someone today reading this blog has found themselves PLUNGED in a dark place.  There are deep shadows and scary places and you just know that you are no more than three inches from a large hairy spider.  Panic seeps into your pores.  Your first impulse is to let fear paralyze you and pull you under.  Don’t fool yourselves and be deceived into thinking that you are the only one who struggles with that “overwhelmy” feeling.  We have ALL been there, baby.  It is no coincidence that God’s Word is filled to the brim with references to light.  Because this darkness stuff is nothing new.   Indeed, I recently heard a pastor say that “fear not” appears 365 times in God’s Word, one for every day of the year.  You can sit there cross-legged in the gloom… or grab hold of God’s promises and walk towards the light.

 

How do you see differently by His light?  It is based not on circumstances, but on the reality of Who He is.  It is not just a temporary way out, but a way to live.  “Yea, You light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.” (Psalm 18.28)   God will use it to guide you.  “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119.105)  Keep your eyes on Him.  Recite His Word.  Not to remind God of His promises and presence, but to remind us.  Sing Scripture verses, if necessary, OUTLOUD  in the face of the darkness and in the face of your worst enemies of fear and despair. 

“For we are powerless against this great multitude that is coming against us.  We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”  (2 Chronicles 20.12) 

Walk towards the light.