You Don’t Have to Fear What Hides in the Dark - The Crosswalk Devotional - October 22
You Don’t Have to Fear What Hides in the Dark
By Deidre Braley
Bible Reading:
Since the children have flesh and blood, (Jesus) too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. - Hebrews 2:14-15
Our children have become afraid of the dark. Our daughter sleeps with her door open now, to let in a crack of light, and many nights after bedtime, our son wanders out of his room and calls down the stairs for me.
“I’m scared,” he will say, bleary-eyed and slumping. In the cocoon of his room, he imagines the beasts he has read about in his books. He hears noises he can’t identify. He looks outward, and all he can see is darkness, and he shudders to think of whatever lies hidden within it.
Downstairs in the kitchen, all the lights are on, and it still smells like whatever we had for dinner. I am packing lunches, pre-setting coffee, and wiping down counters. Everything is in order. In this brightly lit space, his fears feel distant, improbable. I am watching over him, and I am certain no beasties will get him tonight. But as I lead him back up the stairs, through the dark hallway, and into his bed once more, it is as though I am seven years old again, too. I see the shadows. I know what it’s like to lie awake, afraid of what hides in the dark. So I lay beside him for a while, then I rub his back and tuck the covers up under his chin, to make sure nothing can get to him there.
And when I wake up in the middle of the night, my mind racing with existential dread and worries about looming disaster and grief, I am no different than my children: in the darkness of my room and my limited understanding, these threats feel as real as real can be. There is no doubt about it—the human experience can be terribly frightening.
What I like to remember during these times is myself as a parent, standing in the brightly lit kitchen, knowing that even if my child is feeling afraid in his particular room, I am presiding over the whole house, and that he is safe and that everything is in order. Though he may not sense it when the lights are turned off in his own bedroom, he is actually surrounded on all sides by light and love and security.
I think it is the same with God and us.
But we are not just contained within his care and the light of his goodness. Because God did not choose to stay in the brightly lit space, where our fears were distant and removed from his reality. Jesus—God in the flesh—came to dwell with humanity and was, as it says in Hebrews, the “pioneer of their salvation” (2:10). He engaged with the darkness and wrestled with the power of death—that darkness that haunts us mortals and keeps us lying wide-eyed and terrified in our bedrooms at night—and came out on the other side gripping the keys to death and Hades (Revelation 1:18). He entered into our greatest nightmare with us so that we wouldn’t have to leave in fear of what hides in the dark all our lives. In doing so, he showed us that he has the final say, that he holds the ultimate power, and that we are children who are surrounded by his light.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In the book of Revelation, John records what the new creation looked like in the vision he received from God. He writes:
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.” (21:23-25)
One day we will live in a place where there is no longer any darkness to fear—no beasts hiding in the dark and no dread of the future looming beyond what we can see. Though we long for that place now, we already have a God who is, by his very nature, light and life and love. His glory is already radiant. His power is already all-encompassing. And his presence is already here, through his Spirit dwelling with us. So the next time you wake up in the night and your mind begins to race with worries, try this prayer:
God, I am so afraid, and everything feels so dark. But I know that you are God of the living, and that you are also God of the light. Please come into this darkness with me and illuminate it with your presence. Please help me to see my circumstances from your standpoint: in a brightly lit place, totally surrounded by light. Amen.
Further Reading:
Hebrews 2
Revelation 21
Go Deeper: You Were Made to Know God Deeply ft. Stasi Eldredge
What if the distance you feel from God isn’t a problem to solve, but an invitation to go deeper? In this episode, I sit down with bestselling author Stasi Eldredge to talk about her new book, The Ladder of Love, and how our wounds, shame, and experiences can shape the way we see God—and how Jesus meets us there with healing and truth. If you’ve ever known about God but longed to truly know Him, this conversation will encourage you to move beyond striving and into a deeper, more honest intimacy with Jesus. Like what you hear? Follow Bought + Beloved with Kirby Kelly on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
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