When Darkness Is Better Than Light

Often in the Bible the phrase to "walk in darkness," means to "walk in sin" (I John 1: 6), to disobey the truth as revealed in God's Word.

     But sometimes walking in darkness stands for those tunnels of uncertainty through which believers pass at times. In such a tunnel Job lamented, "Behold, I go for ward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot per ceive him . . . he hideth himself on the right hand that I cannot see him" (Job 23: 8, 9). While walking in such darkness David sighed, "I have cleansed my heart in vain ... for all the daylong have I been plagued, and chas tened every morning" (Ps. 73: 13, 14). And enshrouded in such a cloud of doubt was John the Baptist when he inquired of Jesus, "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" (Matt. 11: 3).

Isaiah gives the clearest picture of this uncertain point:

     "Who is among you that fearetl1 the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?" (Isa. 50: 10).

     Isaiah then gives the "dimmed out" saint solid words of comfort: "Trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon God." Stay where you are. Do what you are doing. Pray as you are praying. No man can see what he is accom plishing in the dark, but he should keep on working any way. This saint fears God and obeys the ministering serv ant of God. Why should he change? What else could he do?

      Some of us remember that in World War II there were practice "black-outs" in our cities. Enemy bombers never flew over the United States, but if they should come by night we were to fail to give them any guidance by our light. It may be that God suffers these "black-outs" to be fall saints to protect us from more vicious attacks of Satan, for when we are in darkness, we feel caution. Light brings assurance. Sometimes caution is more vital than assurance. The truth is, a saint can be assured while he is cautious.

     That "darkness" is better than "self-made" light. "Be hold, all ye that kindle a fire . . . walk in the light of your £re ... ye shall lie down in sorrow" (Isa. 50: 11). Here is the self-made and self-assured religionist. Gathering from this source and that, he "kindles a fire," then makes that his religion and his god. He glories in it and calls all men to praise it. He seems to pass through no tunnels and is beset with no doubts. But the end is "sorrow." There is a dark night of disillusionment, disappointment and death awaiting him. Let no saint envy him.

     It is better to walk in darkness, sure of God, than to walk in light, sure of ourselves!

--George E. Failing