“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭56‬:‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I enjoy a good scary story. But I have learned that reading them at bedtime can be problematic.

I recently read a short story called “Ankle Snatcher” by Grady Hendrix. It was a fun read, but I realized when I turned out my light to fall asleep, I was unsettled and suspicious of every sound. I imagined movement in the shadows of my closet and was reluctant to hang my foot over the edge of my bed.

It sounds silly now, in the light of day, but in the depths of a dark, lonely night, fear has substance and weight.

God knows this about darkness and the confusion it causes us. To create the universe He started with “Let there be light!” Jesus calls Himself the Light of the World for a reason.

Darkness is the absence of light. Darkness is nothingness. God is everything. And He is light.

That is why whenever I am frightened in the dark, literally or figuratively, I turn to God.

I know God created everything so there is nothing in my dark night that He can’t see or doesn’t understand. There is no enemy hiding in the shadows that God hasn’t already defeated. Nothing in this world can snatch me out of my God’s loving hand.

The dark will still harbor sharp objects to step on, coffee tables to stumble into, even burglars who break in to hurt and steal. There is all manner of pain and evil lurking in the darkness of this fallen world. But God is always — always — near and ready to shine the light of His face into my situation if I open my eyes and look toward Him. Like a parent shining a flashlight under the bed, saying, “See? There’s nothing here to be scared of.”

Dear God,

Thank you for creating light that the darkness could not comprehend. Thank you for your promise to always be near me, shining your miraculous light into my life. Remind me again, the next time I am afraid, how trustworthy you are. Fill me with your inexplicable peace.