June 1 - Night

“The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them” - Isaiah 8:2

My eldest brother was working as a long-distance lorry driver and always preferred, whenever possible, to drive during the dark hours. The roads, he said, are safer because there are less vehicles on the road , and fewer distractions. Night driving, I must admit, is not my favorite. Oh yes, I will do it, but if I have a choice I'd rather drive by day. At night the headlights of oncoming traffic dazzle and you can only see so far down the road, no matter how good your headlights. Once you get out in the country lanes catseyes are non-existent, and white lines obliterated by the constant movement of farm vehicles.

I well remember one hair-raising drive down a one-track road in Lincolnshire. Whenever an on-coming vehicle approached, one of us had to reverse until we reached a lay-by, while the other car went on it's way – pitch black – no road markings - narrow verges, and dykes on both sides of the road. The Lord got us home safely that night.

This reminds me of our spiritual walk. That's so much like night driving. We have enough light to see in front of us in order to keep moving but not too much more. We don't know how certain decisions are going to turn out; we don't know what kinds of challenges are on the road ahead; many times we find we are reversing despite our determination to keep our focused on the end of the journey. We wonder how long trials are going to last. Darkness surrounds us and it's by the grace of God that we avoid the dykes.

Many avidly read their horoscope each day looking for an aerial view of their lives. When is the next bend coming up? They want to see it and anticipate the next 24 hours in advance. But if that happened with us, where would trust be? Would we cling tightly to God for the next step, the next dip in the road? No, the fully lighted path is the life of independence and God is trying to nurture our dependence on him.

Proverbs 8:20 says; "I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice." As long as we have chosen the right road to begin with we can trust God regardless of how dark it seems at times. We shouldn't mind the night driving; God's headlights will never fail. (Acknowledgements Barbara Lardinais).

“Help is on the Way” - Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Bryn's selection. Click on the picture to listen.