Night. That dark place that begins at sunset and endures until sunrise. Night is the darkest time. And it can feel like it will never end.
I remember camping as a single young woman. Leaving my tent in the middle of the night to find the campground rest room was the scariest! It is amazing how darkness seemingly changes a familiar route. A new path in the dark is absolutely daunting.
Our imaginations run wild in the dark. Trying to find our way, feeling disoriented and panicked. Hearing noises. Running because we are scared, falling, and scraping our knees which adds to the fright. Our heart races even more as we imagine things beyond the noises we truly hear.
Every time I read the word night in scripture, my heart translates it to a time of dark crisis or dark uncertainty.
“You will not fear the terror of night…” Psalm 91:5“My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.” Psalm 119:148
“Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.” Psalm 17:3-5
“….then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday.” Isaiah 58:10
There are over 90 verses in the Bible that refer to night.
What night are you enduring? Are you engulfed by dark depression, discontentment, divorce, health issues, job loss, financial stress, relationship strain, loneliness, watching loved ones ache or the unknowns of the future?
As a believer in Jesus Christ, there are many things I can do to sooth myself in the dark. I can call a Christian friend, listen to Christian music and podcasts, read books and blogs. They all can and do encourage me.
But there is no real substitute for holding God’s hand in the dark. When I read the Word of God, the scriptures reveal the fatherly heart of my God and the reality of His presence. When I take time to read my Bible, it could only be 10 minutes or less and then reach toward Him by praying. That is when my tiny hand finds His. And I feel safer in the dark.
Are the noises of fear growing louder and louder? Do you keep falling and getting hurt over and over? Is your heart racing with the unknowns? This is when we can and need to find God’s hand and hold on ever so tightly. He is present. I promise, you will find His hand as you take the time to sit with Him and with your Bible. Stop and move toward Him. Look for more than others words and ideas about Him. Find His hand.
find: recognize or discover something to be present
”You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
I will be found by you.” declares the LORD…. Jeremiah 29:13
Holding on tightly,
Lynn Jackson
CO-Founder
Thrive Leadership Foundation
journeylynn@gmail.com
NOTE: This is an excerpt from a book I am writing. If you are totally stuck, please email me.
I would love to share some tips that I continue to learn along the way, about spending time with our Father.
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