Light in the Darkness
By Gary Hallquist, Care & Counseling Pastor
Is There Light for My Darkness?
Sometimes life kicks us so long and so hard, it’s almost impossible to think it’s going to get any better. Even when you see a light at the end of the tunnel, you suspect it’s a train coming straight for you. When you think of God, He seems distant and silent. Maybe He’s uninterested in you. Or worse… maybe He doesn’t love you. Maybe He’s angry at you.
If this describes how you are feeling, you are not alone. The psalmist wrote these words thousands of years ago: “darkness is my closest friend” (Ps 88:18b NIV). One of the earliest books of the Bible is dedicated to the story of Job, a man who suffered unthinkable tragedy and struggled to see the meaning of it all. Discouragement, frustration, confusion, and hopelessness are all commonly found in the Bible. Listen to what Paul the apostle wrote. “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor 4:8-9 ESV).
Here are a few things you can know for sure…
- You are not alone. The things you feel have been felt by thousands of people in the past and are commonly experienced today.
- God understands what you are going through. The writer of Hebrews says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15 ESV).
- There is light from above for your darkness. The Gospel of John says, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (Jn 1:9). That light was Jesus. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn 1:4-5).
Jesus can bring light to your darkness. Click on this link https://shepherds.org/understanding-the-gospel/ if you’d like to find out how to begin a relationship with Him. If you are having trouble seeing your way through, contact the Care Ministry office 919-233-9100 or email carestaff@shepherds.org. Jesus bids you to come to Him for help. His promise is that “whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (Jn 6:37b).