My husband and I stayed in a hotel awhile back. We were exhausted when we got there, so we stretched out on the bed to relax and watch a little television before we turned in for the night. We had been there just a few minutes when all of a sudden the lights went out.
To say it was dark was an understatement. The room we were in bordered the woods and there were no street lights. It was the darkest dark we’d seen in a long time.
The power outage lasted for about 15 minutes. I felt around on the bedside table for my phone but it was dead; I’d forgotten to plug it in to charge. Paul’s phone was across the room. He had a flashlight for times just like this, but hadn’t taken it out of the suitcase yet. We were afraid we’d trip over something if we got up to look for it.
Contrast that to when we’re at home. I often write late at night, so I’m usually the one turning off the lights downstairs before heading up to our room. The kitchen light is the last one I turn off, and then in the pitch dark, I walk around the corner into the middle foyer, on to the main foyer, down to the newel pole of the staircase, and then up the 14 steps to the top floor. All in the dark, without any hesitancy.
What makes the difference? I’ve walked that same journey so many times over the years that I instinctively know how many steps to take to turn the corner, how many more will take me to the bottom of the stairs, and how many more to take to our bedroom.
Life is often the same way. We’ll be going along and then all of a sudden, we’re plunged into a darkness and can’t see a way out. It might be one of “those” phone calls from a doctor. It might be financial difficulties or loss of a job. Maybe it’s a relationship that falls apart without any warning. There’s often no way to prepare for those moments.
But the sweet thing is that when we’ve had a close relationship with God, we can know instinctively that He’s going to take care of us, that He’s got it under control. How? Because He’s walked in the darkness with us many times before, guiding us, protecting us and bringing us to the end of that particular journey.
Are you walking in the dark today? Know that while you might not know the way out, God knows exactly where He’s taking you—and He’ll walk beside you every step of the way.
