Scripture: Psalm 139:11–12
If I say, advice “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me, thumb ”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

Thought for the Day: “Darkness” is one of those words that immediately create an emotional response in us. For many of us, darkness is a claustrophobic word. We might think of it as a void—the darkness of space, for example. Or darkness can be edgy/borderline psychotic, like Batman. And of course, darkness is often portrayed completely over the top, as pure evil, in characters from Hannibal Lecter to Satan.

Darkness is something that engulfs us every night. We cannot escape it. So that may be why it both fascinates and frightens us, and why, since we began thinking about God, we’ve understood God as the light in the darkness, the Holy Light that when we walk in its presence, keeps our darkness at bay.

Prayer: Holy Dispeller of Fear, illuminate the darkness that surrounds me, so I might find the courage to also shine, becoming a beacon that leads always to you. Amen.