No Fear of the Darkness
For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind. Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am in dread of him. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; yet I am not silenced because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness covers my face.
Job 23:14–17
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No Fear of the Darkness
Being afraid of the dark is a common fear found in most children and even many adults. The darkness obscures and hides what might be dangerous. Monsters in the closet and under the bed only come out in the darkness. Criminals do their bad deeds by cover of night. Evil loves to lurk in the darkness. The darkness is the natural home for sin. We ourselves seek the shadows when we enter into sin. We hide away the sinful desires of our hearts in the darkness of our minds. Job recognizes there is something to be feared even more than the darkness, and that is God. He fears God’s wrath against sin. He fears God’s justice against the unjust. We too should fear God, for we deserve nothing but His wrath and condemnation. Yet in the midst of our darkened lives Christ breaks fourth and scatters the darkness with His glorious light. He defeats the army of darkness and in so doing reconciles us to the Father. In Christ we have forgiveness and live. In Christ’s light we rest secured, a light no darkness can overcome. Therefore, we need not fear the darkness because in that darkest of hours, on a desolate hill called Calvary, the Light of the World paid for our sins. And on that first Easter morning the empty tomb bore witness to the victory of the Light of Christ over the darkness of sin, death, and the devil.
Job 23:14–17
+
No Fear of the Darkness
Being afraid of the dark is a common fear found in most children and even many adults. The darkness obscures and hides what might be dangerous. Monsters in the closet and under the bed only come out in the darkness. Criminals do their bad deeds by cover of night. Evil loves to lurk in the darkness. The darkness is the natural home for sin. We ourselves seek the shadows when we enter into sin. We hide away the sinful desires of our hearts in the darkness of our minds. Job recognizes there is something to be feared even more than the darkness, and that is God. He fears God’s wrath against sin. He fears God’s justice against the unjust. We too should fear God, for we deserve nothing but His wrath and condemnation. Yet in the midst of our darkened lives Christ breaks fourth and scatters the darkness with His glorious light. He defeats the army of darkness and in so doing reconciles us to the Father. In Christ we have forgiveness and live. In Christ’s light we rest secured, a light no darkness can overcome. Therefore, we need not fear the darkness because in that darkest of hours, on a desolate hill called Calvary, the Light of the World paid for our sins. And on that first Easter morning the empty tomb bore witness to the victory of the Light of Christ over the darkness of sin, death, and the devil.
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