Have you ever been afraid at night? Think back to when you were a kid in your room, and the lights turned off. As you looked around the room while your eyes were adjusting, your brain made up some scary figures and imagined crazy things. That’s usually when fear enters and people get scared. That’s also when you yell for your parents to come back to turn on a light. There’s something comforting about having light when you’re scared. It helps you feel at peace, it illuminates those shadowy figures and let’s you rest. The problem sometimes is that fear often paralyzes and keeps us from turning on the light or asking for it.
In 2 Samuel 11, David was walking on his rooftop when he saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. He summonsed her to his castle and slept with her. When she sent word that she got pregnant, fear came in and he tried to cover it up. He brought her husband back from war, but he refused to go home to be with his wife. Fear then escalated David’s behavior to the point he had her husband killed at war so he could marry her. It was then that the prophet Nathan came to bring to light what David had done. He repented and wrote Psalm 51 in the process.
John 1:4-5 says, “The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out” (GNT). When we sin, fear wants to push us away from God and His Word, but that’s exactly what we need. He is the Light that shines in the darkest corners of our lives. His light drives out fear, brings peace and illuminates things that need to go. Fear tells you that you need to keep those things in the dark, but fear also complicates our lives like it did for David. If that fear has been controlling you, call out to your Heavenly Father to come turn on the light through His Word and find forgiveness and rest for your soul.
Photo by Cole Ankney on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 