Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

The only thing I know about the dark is you can’t see in it.  ~ Roy Hobbs, The Natural

In one of my favorite movies, The Natural, there is a great discussion about the dark, between Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford), and the owner of the baseball team, after Hobbs enters the owners office to find it very dimly lit. The transcript below shows the conversation between the Owner and Hobbs. (If you prefer you can watch it here).
Owner: Please pardon the absence of light. You see, as a youngster I was  frightened of the dark…and I used to wake up sobbing in it as if it was  water…and I was drowning in it. As you will observe, I have…disciplined myself against that fear…that now I much prefer…a dark room.

Hobbs: The only thing I know about the dark is, you can’t see in it.
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Roy Hobbs said it best. It’s true you can’t see in the dark, whether it’s literal darkness or spiritual darkness. Spiritual darkness is the absence of the light, the word, Jesus Christ. The devil wants to keep us in spiritual darkness. He wants to keep us from turning to God. He wants to make it hard to find our way. I dare say he would like us to be like the owner of the New York Knights in the Natural.

The devil knows we fear the dark, but he hopes if he can keep us in the dark long enough, sobbing and drowning, that eventually we would prefer the dark. It is a slippery slope. As we push out the light of Jesus Christ, sadly our eyes adjust, and we get used to the darkness. But in that darkness we cannot see properly. We can’t see the truth.

I’m not afraid of the dark

I’m not afraid of the dark, because my Lord Jesus has claimed me from the dark through my baptism and dying on the cross to rescue me from the punishment of my sins. He made it possible for me to see the light through His Holy Spirit. It is important to keep your focus on the light. You need to make sure your life is full of light through God’s word, Jesus Christ. Spending some time with Jesus each day helps to squelch out the darkness and draw us closer to the light.

Are you going to the Dark Side?

Yes that’s a reference to another great film – Star Wars. The Dark Side is always pulling at us trying to pull us away from good, to pull us away from God. We have to protect ourselves with the full armor of God.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6: 13-17

Are you in the dark?