During the recent cold snap I’m sure many of us couldn’t imagine NOT controlling our environment. The idea of being at the mercy of the elements is unthinkable. Since man has walked the earth we’ve tried to thrive in spite of what nature throws at us. Artificial light is just one of the ways we’ve done this.
Going back to fire, then lanterns and now electricity we’ve used our own means to light our world in spite of the darkness. In so doing, we’ve come to believe we are masters of our domain, and why wouldn’t we? Our perceived independence and self-sufficiency points in that direction. Our desire for security almost requires it. Still, there’s a danger in relying on our own sources of light, both literally and figuratively.
Proverbs 3: 5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
This is the challenge of denying ourselves reliance on artificial light, for it’s in the darkness, during those times we can’t see the way forward, when we must rely on something not of ourselves. We must depend on something larger, more powerful and we’re uneasy giving up our control. The challenge of living by natural light and not artificial light isn’t one we like. Yet it’s during those times where we grow, we learn our Father holds us in his hands and he will not let us stumble, he will not let us fall.