Protect

This evening Lena asked if we could take a night walk. Well, it was a warm evening and we weren’t busy with anything, so we thought, Why not? We put on our shoes and coats, wrapped the baby in the stroller with blankets, and corralled the dogs. Lena grabbed her flashlight and led the way.

You are my lamp, O Lord. My God lightens my darkness (2 Samuel 22:29.) These words are from a song David sang on the day God delivered him from the hands of his enemies, from the hands of Saul. It was a long, dark period in David’s life.

The darkness David is speaking of is a kind of darkness that can feel like it lives inside you. No amount of electricity will dispel it; there is not a flashlight big enough. You need a different kind of light.

I was on the phone this evening with a friend who struggles with depression. Lots of days that dark heaviness keeps my friend from getting out of bed. I couldn’t offer much – just an ear to hear and a voice to say, “I’m here.” 

I said to my friend, “Spring is coming. The days will get brighter and longer,” because there is not anything I can do to lighten her way. As much as I would love to hand my friend a light to lead her out of the darkness, only God can be the light she needs; only God can protect her from the forces of evil.