"Thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness." Ps. 18:28
"...When I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me."
Micah 7:8
There are many passages of Scripture that speak of the contrasts of Light and Darkness; we often associate the analogy with those who are saved and those who are lost. But as I have been thinking and praying, my thoughts have gone a slightly different direction.
If you were to enter a dark room, you would find your perception of your location and your surroundings rather skewed. You might wander around, feeling your way for the familiar, guessing at the location of objects, but incredibly uncertain and unsure. Even a small beam of light would help you grasp your bearings slightly better, but when the flood of an overhead light comes on, there is no more uncertainty--only fact. Everything is clear, the location of things is clear...perception is no longer skewed.
The same is true of the our spiritual walk. Unless our minds are renewed with the Truth of God's Word, flooded by His Light, we walk in darkness. The thoughts, desires, and feelings of our deceitful hearts twist and contort Reality, leading us further into blindness. Our perceptions of God and of ourselves become horrifically skewed, wreaking havoc not only in our spiritual lives, but leaving great consequences on those we come in contact with. The frightening truth is, our sin has devastating effects on those around us.
It is possible for a follower of Christ to live and walk in darkness. The darkness of lies we believe about ourselves and about our God. Lies that perhaps lurk in the subconcious and would never dare to voice themselves. Lies such as, "If God were Truly good, then ____." Or, "If God really loved me, than ______ wouldn't be happening." "God can't be in control." "His Word can't truly mean what it says when it tells me to trust Him in everything. Look at my circumstances!" "His way can't possibly be best." "He can't possibly be doing what's good for me."
Or perhaps something such as "God isn't worthy of my time." "God isn't the One True God. I choose instead to worship myself." These are lies that cause darkness, confusion, and a completely wrong view of Christ. They cause a life of delusion and misconceptions. Like someone groping in darkness, a feeling of confidence may come in the direction they're heading and the choices they're making--until the light reveals they were hopelessly wrong.
But praise our God, there is hope! In these lies Christ shines the Light of His Truth, that we might walk in it.
We no longer walk in darkness as enemies of God; let us now walk confidently in the Light of Truth and flee from the blindness of our old man.
