7 Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Thy hand will lead me, And Thy right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," 12 Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee.

Often small children are deathly afraid of darkness. They can imagine the closet full of monsters or dragons under the bed. They hear all kinds of creatures lurking in the darkness. As we grow older we are still often not sure when we are faced with real darkness. As we face the darkness of life and the uncertainties it brings, we imagine all kind misfortune and tragedies. Yet, when we know God is on our side, we can alw ays live with the assurance that everything will be taken care of and all our needs supplied. It may be the uncertainty that comes with a terminal illness or the loss of a mate added to the indescribable grief and emptiness that overwhelms us. Or it may be the unknown that comes with loosing a job and dealing with the loss of self esteem that accompanies it. Even in all of this we can know that God is light. He is not hindered by the worst of darkness or limited by our problems. When we see light we do not see darkness. They are opposite and cannot be seen together. So we often perceive our problems and try to imagine the solutions to them. Just as darkness and light are alike to God, he can see our problems and solutions all together. There are none too big for God to handle. There is nothing that overwhelms God as it so often does to us. We can always know that God is on our side; he wants to help us and take care of us. The only hindrance to God’s constant care is our lack of faith and our unwillingness to turn things over to him. The Psalmist had learned to depend on God as his strength, his protection and his provider. When we learn to do this we can be free from worry. We can have peace of mind. We will be filled with the joy that only God can provide thru his Holy Spirit living in us.

O God, please give me wisdom to walk in your light. Give me the strength that only you can give. Increase my faith so that I can know your protection so that I may know the peace and the joy that only you can give. Please help me to see the light of your goodness and to emulate your love and care for others around me. Fill me with your Spirit so that I may become forever like you. I pray in Jesus name.

May God bless each of us as we live for him today.