Skylar's Blog & Podcast

Psalms 36:9

When I was in elementary school there was always one show I wanted to watch but my parents wouldn't let me. It was called: "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" Each show would start out with a group of kids around a fire sharing scary stories, and each week they would share a new story. Now, my mom was very wise, because I'm a HUGE baby when it comes to scary movies or TV shows. Quick question: what environment do almost all scary movies happen?...Some of your answers might be in the woods, in a creepy broken down house, in a fun house, or whatever. Scary movies happen in all kinds of different environments, but there is a common denominator that runs through all scary movies. And it is...darkness. Fear thrives on darkness. Things are always scarier when you are in the dark. Think about when you were a little kid. Most of us were never afraid to be in our room alone during the day, but when it got dark some of us freaked out (me included). This pattern continues even as we grow older. Now, the fear we experience because of the darkness is different. We are no longer afraid someone is going to jump out at us (unless of course you just watched the Sixth Sense or some other freaky movie). However, what we do begin to fear is the fact that we don't know where we are going. Now, I might be getting a little too metaphorical for you but stay with me.

In Jewish poetry, just as in today's poetry, the writer would use images or elements to represent different emotions or circumstances. One of the Psalms favorite images it uses is light and dark. So, what is the Psalmist really getting at when he is writing about the dark and light? Read Psalms 107, go ahead...what does the writer say God did in verse 14? The writer says, "He (God) brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death..." Look at the context, what does this darkness represent? Now, you're probably thinking I'm going to use the verse I put at the top to talk about how, "...God is light and in him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5)." This is true, God is light, but that doesn't mean He avoids the dark. In fact there are some psalms where the writer describes God as having darkness around Him (Psalms 97:2). One Psalm even says God created the darkness (Psalms 104:20, Genesis 1:3-5). What does this mean then? Does darkness have some good qualities to it? I would say yes and no. On the no side, the darkness can be the times we enter in our lives where we don't feel God or where we don't know where to go. This is where Satan has taken what God has created and perverted it. Just a reminder, everything God creates is good; however, sin has twisted it and turned it on us. This is why good things such as food, friends, work, etc. become an unhealthy part of our lives. However, the darkness can be a good thing. Yes, within the darkness is an inability to see, but, on a practical level, within the dark is rest. Within the darkness is the element of the unknown, but isn't it comforting that the God we serve is so beyond our comprehension (Isaiah 55:8)? If everything about God were in the light, plain for all to see and understand, then He wouldn't be God. To end I want you to reflect on this: though the darkness is something we initially think we have to struggle and war with, God has and will continue to redeem the dark. Do you remember how I talked about how the psalmists poetically placed God within the dark? The psalmists are pointing to something, they are saying God does not stand outside of the dark with His light, keeping a safe distance from it. No, he invades the dark which consumes us and is not from Him and shines forth His radiant line. God will always win. In closing I want you to read Psalms 139: 7-12: