Have you ever had to walk through a familiar room in the dark and rely on your memory to get you to where you are going with out stubbing your toe or hitting your knee on a sharp edge of something? It is kind of scary isn’t it? You have to trust your memory and hope nothing has moved since you last saw it, feeling your way through the dark.
Lately I have had a song stuck in my head, a song that I don’t mind replaying over and over again. It has brought me comfort and spoken truth to me on and off as my husband and I have had to walk through dark rooms of faith lately. The words fill my head and my heart and remind me that sometimes it is necessary to walk through the darkness so that I can see not with the comfort of my eyes but with comfort of my heart. Knowing and trusting that everything is right where He left it, always the same, never-changing.
“Hold onto what you believe, in the light, when the darkness has robbed you of all your sight.”
Everyday is different, full of light and shadows. When things are going well for us it is easier to believe, but when they start going in the opposite direction we had planned we face a battle of belief. Belief is what guides us through the darkness, but sometimes it is hard to believe. Sometimes the darkness robs us of our belief, of our sight and it is then, when things get really hard, when you just don’t feel it, when you just don’t feel Him that you must hold on to what you believe. Hold tight to your faith in the midst of your circumstances, trusting that you will make it to the other side of the room where the lamp is.
God says that
“…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” (Hebrews 11:1-3)
This last week I read this chapter of faith in Hebrews and was deeply encouraged by the many living examples of those before us who have lived incredible lives by faith, not by sight. Those who in the midst of some incredible and much more devastating circumstances than I am experiencing, held onto what they believed. They were surrounded by darkness at times and they remembered and His truth gave them the strength and the light to guide them through those hard times. And do you know what the most amazing thing is? The reality that we share the same faith and the same God, so whatever it is we are facing in our lives we should be encouraged to live by faith and hold onto what we believe.
There is a book that I love to read to my children by R.C. Sproul called The Lightlings. If you don’t have, well… go get it. I love the story because it reminds us that we were not meant to live in the dark, we were meant to live in the light and the light was meant to live in us. We are children of the light, Lightlings. Darkness has no real power over us.
So, remember when you are walking through those dark rooms of faith to hold onto what you believe… the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Kelli, that verse in Hebrews continually inspires me to simply hang on when I don’t feel I can any more. Every time. And I am deeply encouraged by your reminder that we love the Very Same God as those Hebrews, and other giants of our faith, did. Loved that. I pray that God continues to light each next step in this time of uncertainty, for you, and brightly!
Hi Kelli, It’s interesting . . . when I walk through a familiar dark room I close my eyes. I think it’s to keep myself from getting distracted by shadows and to help myself focus carefully on my memory of where things are placed. I’ve often questioned this habit; however, wondering if I’m actually making things harder for myself.
You’re post makes me wonder if I’m doing the same thing when I walk through a dark time with the Lord. Do I close my eyes and rely on myself when He is giving me tiny glimpses of His presence along the way. Thanks for this thought-filled post. Many blessings!!