No Darkness Is Too Complete for God

As I was growing up, my family loved a good road trip.  We would pack our camper, hit the highway, and visit every tourist destination we could fit in.  One such trip included a stop at Mammoth Caves National Park.  During the cave tour, when you are deep inside the earth, there is a moment when they turn off the lights so you can experience complete darkness.  I had never seen such a total lack of light.  I could literally put my hand so close to my face it was touching my nose and not be able to see a thing.  It is fascinating and unsettling to be completely deprived of any ability to see when you have never experienced that before.  It makes you appreciate the light even more when they flip it back on.

It would be impossible for me to navigate through this world without God.

That experience of complete darkness describes our human condition without God.  As much as it would have been impossible for me to ever find my way out of the cave system without lights, it would be impossible for me to navigate through this world without God.  The difference is since most of us have our physical eyesight and other senses, we think we have the ability to see our own way.  But there is a spiritual darkness that is just as complete and just as debilitating as being deep in a cave with the lights off.  And in that darkness we are just as incapable of finding God and eternal life as I was to get out of that cave.

We don’t always realize the spiritual darkness.

Sadly, we don’t always realize the spiritual darkness.  It isn’t like the cave.  In the cave, I had lived in the light and knew what it was to see clearly.  I recognized the darkness because I knew the light and could tell the difference when it was gone.  The physical darkness of the cave was startling precisely because I had only experienced having some degree of light always present.  However, if I had been born blind and had never seen the light, I would not have even noticed when the lights of the cave were turned off.  I would not recognize the complete physical darkness because it was what I had always known.  Spiritual darkness is the same.  So many people live in complete spiritual darkness and don’t know because they have never experienced the light.

I was roaming around blindly in a spiritual cave.

I lived in the spiritual darkness for too long.  I had a knowledge of God but an incorrect understanding of Him.  I lacked a relationship with Him.  I didn’t realize that, though, because it was a darkness I had always known.  I was caught up in a belief system that told me I had to work to earn His love and that if I wasn’t good enough, He would not want me.  I became an overachiever to please Him because I had no idea who He really was or of the free gift of His grace that He offers.  I was roaming around blindly in a spiritual cave, hoping I was making the right turns to get to the light.  Even worse, I knew I was failing.  Nothing ever got better and I never got closer to Him.  I just kept bumping into walls.  I got to the point that I believed He had given up on me – that there would never be any light.  And that, my friend, is a complete darkness that no one wants to experience.

I stepped out of the cave and into the glorious light of day.

Eventually, I gave up.  I sat down on the floor of my spiritual cave and told God I was done.  I had reached a point of hopelessness and was giving up trying anymore.  I thought it was the end – that I was accepting my fate of having to live in that dark and miserable place forever.  But our God is a God that honors submission and a broken and contrite heart.  I didn’t realize that at that point of total surrender and defeat in the depths of a cave of spiritual darkness, what I really did was allow God to start to work.  Slowly, ever so slowly, His light began to filter in.  I began to catch glimpses of a love that is unconditional and ever present.  It began to filter into my soul as little sparkles in the darkness.  I longed to experience more of that light and love and began seeking it out in His word and at various churches.  God started walking me out of the cave with glimmers and flashes of light until one day, I submitted my life to Him completely and with no reservation.  I stepped out of the cave and into the glorious light of day that belongs to those who have trusted the Lord and been saved.

There is no darkness so complete that God cannot see through it. 

Having the light of Jesus guiding your life makes all the difference.  What it doesn’t do it make it all easy.  The darkness is still there.  It can never consume me again – there is no darkness so complete that God cannot see through it.  Even as I stood in Mammoth Caves with the lights off, God could see every detail of me, inside and out.  And when I submitted to God and accepted Jesus as my Lord, His Holy Spirit dwelt with me, and I always carry His light inside.  But the darkness fights to gain back what it lost.  The cave wants to draw me back in.  There are times when I am at a loss for the next step.  I am going through one of those times now.  I desire to serve God.  I am waiting, not nearly patiently enough for sure, but I am waiting for His guidance.  I cannot see my hand in front of my face to know what direction to turn.  It feels like darkness sometimes.  It reminds me of the cave.  But it is not a cave – it is a temporary wilderness experience – a pause in the plan for my life.  It is a time when God is working in the background – planning, arranging, and organizing, so that my next step will be just the right one.  And to me, it is a time of growing my faith by teaching me to persevere and trust even when I don’t have the answers I want.

Admit you are as helpless as a child in a dark cave and give your entire life and heart to Him.

Many of you have submitted your lives to Jesus, as well.  I am so grateful for that!  But if you have not, do it now, even if you haven’t yet grasped how dark life is without Him.  Humble yourself.  Give up trying to do it your way.  Admit you are as helpless as a child in a dark cave and give your entire life and heart to Him.  I pray that you do. 

I want so much to see the entire path I will be traveling.

Those moments are hard.  Even with the light of God, I am still a human.  I am still limited, broken, and unable to grasp the spiritual world around me.  Paul said it this way: “For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)  I want so much to not only see my hand in front of my face, but the entire path I will be traveling.  I don’t want a little lantern to light the trail through the cave – I want banks of lights on the ceiling revealing every little crack and crevice.  I squint and strain my eyes and struggle to see past the little circle of light I currently have.  It does me no good.

I need to know that the God who sees knows exactly where I am going.

What does do me good is to give up again.  Not in despair and darkness this time, but in full assurance of the goodness, love, and grace of God.  I am not in the darkness anymore.  My vision is obscured to a degree, but I am not alone without guidance.  I am having the path illuminated one section at a time.  I need to give up my fear that I will be wandering forever.  I need to know that the God who sees knows exactly where I am going.  I also need to trust that if it was for my good, I would be able to see everything.  Maybe if I saw what was ahead, I would fear more.  Maybe I would see something that I would think I couldn’t handle and stop moving.  Maybe God obscures it now until I am at a place where I can handle it and, even more, until a time when it will become good to me.  Maybe the limited vision is a protection and a blessing I should embrace instead of fight against. 

Let God lead you out of the cave.

Even in Mammoth cave with the lights off, I wasn’t alone.  There was a National Park ranger there who knew the cave, had emergency supplies, could communicate with other rangers, and most importantly, knew where the light switch was.  And even in the deepest darkness of my spiritual cave, my God was there, waiting to throw on the light as soon as I was willing to let Him.  Are you struggling in total darkness?  Submit your life to God.  Let Him lead you out of the cave.  Are you struggling though a time of indecision and trial in your life?  Hold on to God – He will reveal the way.  He might not throw on the light switch.  He might just give you a few flashes to let you know you are still on the right path. 

It is in the moments of weakness, fear, and vulnerability that God can do the biggest work in your life. 

That is how it is working in my life right now.  I still can’t see the direction to go.  I get frantic sometimes with the fear that I will do the wrong thing or go the wrong direction.  But just when I hit that point of breaking down, God gives me a remarkable little flash of light to show me I am still on the path.  It might be a scripture that keeps popping up at the oddest times.  It might be totally unconnected people telling me the same message.  Or it might even be seeing something I did produce a little fruit when I wasn’t expecting it.  God is always there.  God knows when I need some extra illumination.  He always gives exactly the right amount of light.  Too often we just don’t ask Him for it.  Too often we are afraid to say, “Lord, I am scared and confused.  Please let me know You are working in this.”  We are afraid to be real and vulnerable with Him.  But it is in the moments of weakness, fear, and vulnerability that God can do the biggest work in your life.  It is the time when He shows Himself to you in unexpected and delightful ways.  It is the portion of the walk when He is the closest, even if you can’t see Him right in front of your face.  I pray that in whatever darkness you are experiencing in your walk, you reach out to God and ask Him for just a little more light.  And I pray that the glimpse of Him in the darkness will heal your heart and give you courage to keep moving on.

I hope today’s message touched your heart, increased your understanding, and encouraged you.  Praying the peace and comfort of Christ Jesus on your life.