Light overcomes darkness

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” John 1:5 NLT.

For anyone who has suffered in some way, darkness can be a very present reality. Mental darkness is something that many people face today particularly since Covid. Depression, anxiety and stress are a few examples of mental pressures upon us.

Charles Spurgeon who suffered bouts of depression throughout his life wrote:

“The mind can descend far lower than the body. For [the mind] there are bottomless pits. The flesh can bear only a certain number of wounds and no more, but the soul can bleed in ten thousand ways, and die over and over again each hour”.

Imagine being in a pitch black physical environment for a long period with absolutely no light whatsoever, not even a glimpse. This is what it can feel like for people suffering with mental darkness too. They can’t seem to find a way out. Sometimes people try and find a glimpse of light by using alcohol, drugs, pornography etc. The problem is, these things are just another form of darkness that exacerbates the darkness they already have. It’s never the solution.

We will often try anything to get away from the terrible darkness that we feel. We all know that when we turn the light on at night, it expels the darkness. Therefore light is the only solution to darkness.

Jesus said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Jesus is the true light and He alone can deal with darkness. When we follow Him we have the light with us - the light of life.

I have followed Jesus for 33 years and yet when my son had an horrific accident I was plunged into a depth of mental darkness that I didn’t know was possible.

Jesus hadn’t changed but my circumstances had. My life changed within a split second but Jesus was still the same.

Often our situations in life can cloud us from walking in light. We find ourselves ending up walking in darkness, not by choice but by circumstance.

I have to make a conscious decision each and every day and throughout the day to follow Jesus and walk in light. Darkness is never that far away for any of us but especially if you have suffered greatly. In fact for some darkness is so close it has, in a sense, become a friend. The psalmist experienced this feeling in Psalm 88:18.

Jesus the light bearer walks with us in the darkness until there is a time when we come out of the darkness. That’s always His desire, that we are not under a constant cloud of depression and despair.

We know on a cloudy gloomy day that the sun is only behind the clouds. The clouds, however, limit the sun’s true effectiveness. Once the clouds begin to break the sun can then shine in its brilliance.

We all need God to break the clouds of mental struggle. I am able to write this today because I have a reason for the “hope that is in me” 1 Peter 3:15. God has helped me through desperate times of darkness and He can for you too.

In our struggles let us hold onto Jesus, the hope of the world, the light of the world. May we echo the words of the prophet,

“Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light”

Yes there will be times of darkness but Jesus the Lord is greater.

Next time we will look at some steps that we can take to help us better overcome darkness.

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

You know what it’s like to suffer mental anguish especially as You approached the cross. You therefore sympathise with us in our weakness and we thank You. Help each of us to hold onto You and help us to point others to You in their struggles. Amen