Walking in the Dark

The sun is shining, so why do I feel like I’m walking in the dark?

How do you walk in the dark, when there is no light-switch, no answers, no clarity, no way out, no control, no hope, no idea?  Darkness can feel lonely, it smells like fear, and "heavy" with unanswered questions. What then? How do you walk in the dark?

This verse gives me a word-picture answer.

“Who among you fears the Lord

and obeys the word of his servant?

Let him who walks in the dark, and has no light,

trust in the name of the Lord,

and rely on his God.“

Isaiah 50:10

I have come to believe (after spending time in the “dark”), God is in the darkness with me and takes hold of my trembling hand and shaking heart. He gently tends to my emotions and anxious thoughts. He knows me. He knows my future and my past. He loves me, difficult to believe when I am such a mess inside.

All I know to do is cry out to God.  This is not my first time in darkness so I know He is trustworthy, which gives me courage.  I am choosing not to be focused on the darkness but on my steps as I “walk” through it.  The verse doesn’t say “sit tight and wait for a rescue”. It says to walk (not run) in the dark and rely on and trust God as you keep walking, keep making decisions, keep asking for wisdom, and keep asking God to show you the way out. It sounds complicated, but walking in the dark can be as simple as taking one step at a time. Only one.

What is that next step I can make today, Lord?