Why We Shouldn’t Fear the Darkness: Embracing God’s Presence in Hard Times
As I sat on my back porch praying about what I waned to write, my mind kept wandering to how the night will fall at 4:38pm tonight. The dreaded day is upon us where we purposefully turn out clocks back and hour, welcoming the darkness in regardless if we like it or not.
If you’re like me, you have already been lamenting the fact that the days have been getting shorter. Of course, that means we are in the month of October, and if you live in a place where there are seasons, you might love this month, at least aesthetically, as much as I do.
The trees are turning vibrant shades of red and orange and yellow, the temperatures are dropping, sweaters are being pulled off of our shelves and those warm drinks just hit different around this time of the year. I love the fall. It’s perhaps my favorite season of all, but you can’t have the fall without recognizing which season is coming next.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.” (Psalm 139:11-12)
If you have been alive long enough, you have likely suffered a great loss. It may be the death of a loved one, a health issue, the ending of a marriage or a job. Perhaps you are walking through that season right now. If that is you, you are not alone. To use seasons as a metaphor, I have found myself in a winter season.
Moving Toward the Light
My life has been plunged into circumstances that I would have never chosen, and yet, they are at least for now my reality. The winter is many things, but one thing I have always equated the winter to is dark. The days are shorter, the nights longer. It’s cold and quiet. The ground beneath our feet is frozen. Everything around us has gone dormant. Depending on where you live, some winters are long, harsh and seemingly unrelenting.
My winter season began in the summer, when the world around me was still vibrant, fully alive. There were signs of life all around me. That dichotomy was hard to accept, at times, but in many ways it got me through the initial shock of loss. And as much as we want for our harder seasons to pass quickly, you may know, that they often don’t. Maybe you have been in a prolonged season of grief. Just like the winter, no matter the season outside, they feel unrelenting.
An Invitation to Embrace the Darkness
I’m not one who often hears the voice of God clearly, but a few weeks ago I heard an invitation from Him as clearly as I have ever heard anything before. Instead of fighting against the dark, I felt Him invite me to embrace it.
A friend of mine gifted me a book called “A Grace Disguised” by Jerry Sittser. He tells the story of catastrophic loss. In one car accident he lost his mother, his wife, and one of his children. You might read that and say, I cannot relate to THAT kind of loss. The author is quick to dispel the myth that we can compare our suffering. Loss is loss and grief is grief. I read this quote and it stopped it stopped me in my tracks. “The quickest way for anyone to reach the sun and the light of day is not to run west, chasing after the setting sun, but to head east, plunging into the darkness until one comes to the sunrise.”
Both this quote and the verses above in Psalm 139 are both an invitation to embrace the dark, and the promises of the Lord when we find ourselves there. Jesus himself said it this way. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV).
In this world we will have trouble. Loss is inevitable, and grief is something that we will eventually become well acquainted with. The author Jerry Sittser encouraged not to run from the darkness, but towards it, and the Psalmist assured us that the night shines as the day. These are invitations to embrace the dark, not if, but when it comes. We have peace in Jesus, for He has overcome the world. That’s a promise in the day and it’s a promise in the night.
In His Word
Meditate on these verses. “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.” (Psalm 139:11-12)
In Your Life
What is your tendency when you are in a season where all feels dark? Maybe you’re in one now. One helpful practice during times when it may be hard to even catch your breath is to set aside time throughout your day to recenter your breathing. “Box breathing” is a good way to do this. Simply inhale slowly through the nose for a count of four. Hold your breath for count of four. Exhale slowly through the mouth for a count of four. Hold your breath for a count of four. Repeat this for a minute or so. God literally provides our every breath. Ask him in these moments to meet you, to restore your peace, to provide you manna for the moment you are in. I know by personal experience, He is faithful to provide.
We Recommend
Jerry Sittser’s book “A Grace. Disguised” is perhaps the most masterful book on loss, grief, and how we can embrace the dark and come out better, and closer to God for it. If you are in a season of loss, or know somebody who is, this book will bring understanding, comfort and a helpful guide to how to walk through seasons of deep loss and grief.
Let’s Connect
Julie is a wife, mother, writer, photographer, and golfer. To read more from Julie, she writes on Substack under the name Evergreen. She also posted regular photos and stories on Instagram.