Tuesday / Seeing in the Dark
Read Psalm 139: 7-12 (NLT)
I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
Think
I have a friend who’s afraid of bats. There’s no reason for it, it’s just a fear he’s had since he was a child. Sometimes when we’re outdoors as the sun sets, sitting by the lake or hanging out in the swimming pool in our yard, I can see him getting tense. He starts glancing at the sky and hunching down to make himself a smaller target.
I’ve told him he doesn’t need to worry; that out in the open the bats won’t run into him or “dive bomb” him or get tangled in his hair; that they can see him so much better than he can see them. And he admits that this is all true, but he still heads for the house.
Most people know a few things about bats. That they’re mammals, eat insects or fruit, and fly at night. Bats live all over the world, and their eyesight isn’t very good. What they have instead is much cooler–sonar echolocation. With it they can “see” where they’re going, find their food, and move safely through the darkness. They give off a series of high-pitched sounds that bounce back off of objects around them, and that helps them locate their food and not fly into trees or walls.
God can see in the dark, too, but so much better than a bat. There’s no difference for God between night and day. He sees me always, whether I’m in the light of day or not. God sees the best way for me to live, the path that’s best to take. If I follow God, I won’t get lost in the darkness and dangers of this world.
When I rely on God to see the world around me clearly, I won’t run into things like temptation and sin. I’ll find food and shelter and purpose for my life without stumbling. My faith in God is like a bat’s echolocation: it helps me move safely through the dark times.
Pray
Dear God, I am so grateful that you see me always. Your eyes are always on me and nowhere I go is out of the reach of your love. Thank you for watching over me as I move through the days of darkness and the days of light. Help me to remember to seek your face when I’m not sure where to go. Be with me and guide me in everything I do. Amen.
Do
Do you like bats? Or are you among the many who fear them? Do you know how important bats are to the environment? This week take some time to study bats. You could watch a video online or go to a zoo that has some. Be deliberate in learning something new about these often misunderstood creatures. Next spend some time considering that the darkness of our ignorance about bats can cause us to harm them. What would happen to the plants that don’t get pollinated or the mosquitos that don’t get eaten? Praise God for the amazing interconnectedness of the world’s environments and think about your place in creation.
The View from Mt. Hope 