Finding your way in the dark
It’s hard to find your way in the dark.
How do you move from one place to another when it’s pitch black? My husband and I once did an escape room with friends that included a dark tunnel that moved you between rooms. As we would uncover clues, we were forced to walk through the tunnel. I remember our friend, John, was the first in our group to discover the tunnel and bravely walk through. From the opposite room, he yelled to us to follow. I was apprehensive.
After some encouragement, I stepped in. I was surrounded by complete darkness as the makeshift fabric of the black walls pushed up against me. There were hidden fans that were blowing the fabric walls together so that your body was the only thing that would push them apart. I lifted my arms up in front of me and stretched out my hands, taking one step at a time as my heart raced. I couldn’t see where I was going! That short, ten foot tunnel of darkness felt like a mile! And I felt such relief when I pushed open the fabric and stepped into the light on the other side.
I imagine what it would be like to find my way through a forest at night. I’m not a traditional “camper” but I’ve been to enough summer camps that I remember what it’s like to find your way from one part of camp to another in the dark. Your eyes adjust to the darkness and you can still see but it’s somewhat distorted. You have to rely heavily on your other senses to navigate your way. You might stumble over tree roots and rocks that blend in with the surroundings. Or you could wander down a path that seems like the way only to find yourself backtracking. You end up back at the place where you chose right when you should have gone left!
Leading you into darkness
My heart aches for those who are wandering through life in the dark. You have been looking for a way through but the words that you are reading or voices you are listening to aren’t illuminating a path that leads to life. Some of those voices are even leading you further into darkness with the promise of light. But, their wisdom resembles more of a matchstick that burns with light for a moment and when the flame is out, the darkness remains.
These promises sound something like: Speak your truth. You deserve _________. You do you. Self-care is the most important thing. When you have _______ or achieve ________, you will be satisfied. Happiness is the end goal. You need to believe ________ to make sure you belong. These words and voices are the messages overtaking digital media and you aren’t sure how to filter. You think:
“This sounds good to me.
This seems like it is true.
This person really knows what they are talking about.“
Let there be light.
When the entirety of creation was covered in darkness, God created light first. He looked into the void, the emptiness and declared “Let there be light.” And He determined there would be Night and Day. I find it interesting that God didn’t create Light to replace the darkness. He intended for both light and darkness to exist. Not just to define the measure of time (days, weeks, seasons) but that the symbolism of these two opposites would be a lens that we view our world.
My husband is a huge fan of action/adventure movie series like the Marvel films, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Each of these storylines are different but they all encompass these themes: light vs dark, good vs. evil, truth vs lies.
How do we find our way through the dark? How do we determine what is true and what is a lie? As a Christian, I’ve learned the way to discern the truth of digital content is woven throughout Psalm 119.
Your word.
The word of God.
The voice of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit who has been speaking throughout time and graciously given us His wisdom through these inspired texts.
Less than halfway through the longest Psalm in the bible is this treasure of how to find our way through in the dark:
By your words, I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back from living by your righteous order. Everything’s falling apart on me, God; put me together again with your Word. Adorn me with your finest sayings, God; teach me your holy rules. My life is as close as my own hands but I don’t forget what you have revealed. The wicked do their best to throw me off track, but I can’t swerve an inch from your course. I inherited your book on living; it’s mine forever-what a gift! And how happy it makes me! I concentrate on doing exactly what you say-I always have and always will.
Psalm 119:105-112 (the message)
Finding a flashlight
His word throws a beam of light on my dark path. Let’s return to the analogy of finding my way through the forest but this time, I’m holding a bright flashlight. I can shine it right in front of me. Or I can look down at my feet and see the next step. Shine it to the left or right and I can see any danger that seems to be hiding among the trees. Shine it off in the distance and it reveals a clearing. I even get a glimpse of others walking ahead of me, shining their lights along the way.
I understand it might be hard for you to give the scriptures or the voice of God such authoritative weight. You have questions about the bible. There’s parts of it that don’t make sense or even stirs up emotions in you. You’ve seen it weaponized or taken out of context. But it’s also literature that has been passed down for generations. The scriptures were written over the course of 1000 years and have withstood the test of time. They weren’t meant to be cut and pasted, picking and choosing the parts we like and ignoring the rest. They are intended to tell a unified story that all points to Jesus. (For more on how to read the bible, I highly recommend The Bible Project: the paradigm series: https://bibleproject.com/podcast/how-do-you-read-bible/)
Tune your ear.
But who else will you give that authority over to? Who can guide and care for your heart with such diligence? Will it be the voice of an influencer whom you’ve never met? Or the podcaster who has multiple credentials listed after their name? Or even the words of a writer whose heart posture is to guide you by the bit of light that she carries? Can you learn from these strangers by what they are offering into the world through the internet? Absolutely. If their message aligns with the word and character of God.
But we are talking about finding our way in the dark. We are talking about who gets to be your guide, who has the loudest voice and the greatest influence. I’d prefer to step aside and let God be that voice of authority for you. I believe in the importance of tuning your ear to the voice of the One over the many. He’s the one who created you. He knows the deepest parts of you. You were made with the greatest care and tenderness. He has called you His own. When He speaks, He offers you a way through the dark.
My prayer today is that you’ll hear His voice over mine. I pray you’ll respond to His invitation to come near and sit with Him, in His word. That He will equip you with light to filter all that is streaming through your devices and discern the way to follow Him. After all, He doesn’t just offer light. He IS the Light.