Stumbling

 

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”

—Isaiah 9:2

Even when we walk in places we know well, we can lose our way in the dark, stub our toe, or run into objects. Just ask anyone who has ever tried to escape a smoky blaze in their home or other building. Bottom line: we aren’t good at walking in the dark!

In Isaiah’s time, the whole culture lived in the land of darkness with the inability to find their way, or to make sense of life. When God sent Jesus, He sent a “Light” that would help His people—including us, as well—to find the way out of a life that Satan had shrouded with sin and death.

I love the Season of Advent. It is a time of darkness that reminds us of our lost-ness, of our need for a Lamp to guide us and to light up our sin so that God can remove that sin and bring us into His glorious light. I love the reminder that no matter how dark our lives may become—with troubles, sorrows, pain, or disappointment—Christ comes to offer us His healing light.

Psalm 91 tells us that the person who dwells in the shelter of the Most High rests in His shadow of protection. I like the way Psalm 91:11 (MSG) explains our tendency to stumble and God’s ability to protect us:

He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling.

We have the tendency to stumble in the dark, trying to find our way into places we may have been, as well as into places we may have never been. If we try to walk in God’s way, He will give us the Light of His presence and command His angels to lift us high enough above our troubles to keep us from stubbing our toes.

During this Season of Advent, take comfort in your darkness today. Be assured that God knows the way that you take, and that He knows how to keep you from falling. Trust His hand and His guiding light. Amen!

—Posted: Monday, December 16, 2019