Have you ever eagerly wandered off into a deep, dark forest, only to find yourself lost in the darkness? Or taken a walk down a path and had the sun go down earlier than you had anticipated, leaving you to find your way in the dark? Maybe you have driven down a road and had dense fog suddenly move in, or had snow begin to fall heavier than you expected. Have you traveled where the way was so dark you could see only a short distance ahead, only to have your main source of illumination quit working?

We all have to face situations like these at some point in our lives. I once read about a man who traveled a considerable distance in the midst of a Saudi Arabian desert to view a rare cluster of “desert roses” (a flowerlike collection of mineral crystals found in very arid areas of the world). While his effort to find them in the daylight was not much trouble, his return home at sunset proved to be of significant concern, since his car would not start!

Being lost in a Middle Eastern desert at twilight is challenging enough, but to try and find your way overnight with no light is even worse. In the end, this man had to sleep in his car. He barely managed to get a ride back to civilization the next day with a man hauling goats! But not everyone has that option. There are times when we can’t stay where we are until the light returns. There are even times when the light does not return and we remain lost in the darkness.

Most try to press forward, groping in the darkness, proceeding slowly step-by-step, not really knowing exactly what lies ahead. Is there a tree, a large rock, a steep ravine, a poisonous snake, a hole, or a parked or even a moving vehicle ahead? Does the road continue to go straight or does it turn sharply? Is there a precipice ahead? How much farther do we have to travel to reach something recognizable? But the nagging question always looming in the back of our minds is, are we going in the correct direction?

Some have never experienced situations like these, since they have always lived in well-lit urban or suburban areas and were safely inside whenever power outages occurred. Others have never had a malfunctioning light source. Yet they continue to live a life that is lost in the darkness. Even as you read this, you may be experiencing darkness in your heart and life that you can’t seem to eliminate or even control.

So you go along, feeling around in this darkness, grabbing at this solution or that. But each seems to brighten your path no more than a flashlight with weak batteries could do, leaving you further lost in the darkness. You may have tried some religion, or you may have dropped all religion. You might have tried to pray more, or you may have stopped praying altogether. You even might have screamed out in the darkness and still it refuses to dissipate. Have you done something good for others, or maybe traveled to a distant land on a pilgrimage, and found that the darkness lifts—but only for a season? Then it returns to haunt you even more than before.

I have been there too. In fact, all who have overcome being lost in the darkness have been there. Those who have overcome still have darkness all around them. While the particular darkness we have been through may not be identical to what you are going through now, it is still darkness and no light can be seen. But the difference is, that we have found a source of light that is always with us which will never dim, flicker, or burn out. That light is Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “…I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

John 8:12

Have you ever been led somewhere by someone holding a light? You followed him because he could see the way, since his light illuminated the pathway. But you had to follow closely behind because the light only covered a short distance. If you hesitated or lagged behind, it would get farther and farther away, and you would find yourself in the dark again.

We must draw near to Jesus when we follow Him, and let Him be the light that lights our way. When cares or pleasures of this life distract us, when we start looking around or behind us, the path becomes darker and harder to see, since the Light gets farther and farther away. Just as the moon only reflects the light of the sun, having no light of its own, we also have no light of our own to light our way. We must let Him be our light and guide us.

“In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.”

Proverbs 12:28

How did Jesus become the light of the world? through His victory over sin and death, which came through His death on the cross. Throughout the period of the Old Testament in the Bible, thousands and thousands of sacrifices were made by the Jews to cover their sins. But they only covered them for a time. When Jesus died on the cross, He became the ultimate and final sacrifice. Then there was absolutely no need for another sacrifice for sin, since He paid it all.

This was further cemented when He arose from the grave and returned to His Father in heaven. By accepting His sacrifice for us and turning completely from our sins in faith, allowing Him be our only light source, we can have the Light to see through and not be lost in the darkness continually! But if we reject Jesus as our light, we will only continue to grope and stumble in darkness, never having everlasting light.

“O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles [dwelling places].”

Psalm 43:3

For more information about the path or way to everlasting life that will no longer leave you lost in the darkness, please visit our page on The way to God.

[Additional image credits: Featured image (when applicable) by Zanyar Ibrahim on Unsplash]