In-Between

Scripture Reading: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”  (Genesis 1:3 NIV)“There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.” (Revelation 22:5 NIV)

From Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, there is light… and in-between, there is darkness.  Sin. Sickness. Death. Sin. Fear. Pain. Sin. Suffering. War. Sin. Depression. Heartache. More Sin.  

We live in that “In-Between,” in a darkened world affected by mankind’s sin and its ramifications. Some days, we don’t feel it so deeply, so harshly.  Moments of joy flicker like a candle, igniting hope. Other days, like lava, the darkness flows over our souls, destroying everything in its path, leaving only pain and gray ash. 

I lay in the darkened hospital room, pregnant, with the very real possibility that my leg would be amputated below the knee, completely overwhelmed by the “In-Between.” Would my unborn baby survive? Would I? Fear. Pain. Heartache. The murky pall of helplessness shrouded me.  

Yet, just as volcanic ash leaves the ground more fertile, the ashes of suffering create a rich soul-soil for faith’s seeds. In that darkness, I slowly began to internalize the truths of Psalm 18:28, “You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light;” and of John 8:12, where Jesus declared, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”  In that darkness, I began to reach for that light as a seedling reaches toward the sun, germinating in its light. In that darkness, I began to reach toward the Son and grow in the Light of my Savior, my Jesus. 

One day, miraculously, the Lord sparked a tiny insight - insight that I never could have guessed and even the doctor hadn’t perceived - insight that made all the difference - saving both my leg and my baby. As God blew on that spark, a faith flame ignited, bringing light and life. Only later would I realize just how brightly that Light had illuminated my situation, for it was through this experience that an underlying health condition was revealed; which, if undetected, would have killed me. Once again, God “Romans 8:28-ed” a dark and devastating situation, as He has for me over and again since then. 

The Light of the World, Who is with God in Genesis and in Revelation, also permeates the “In-Between.”  We see Him in every book of the Bible, and, when we look, in every dark “In-Between” of our lives.  When the darkness is overwhelming, “He is the lamp to our feet and the light to our path” (Psalm 119:105) and when circumstances try to snuff out the light, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5.)  In speaking of God’s faithfulness and the reliability of Scripture, C.H. Spurgeon declared, “In your darkest hour, you may have no candle but a single promise, and yet that lone light shall make high noon of your midnight.”  It is true. I have found it unfailingly to be so. May you find it so as well, as you seek Him in the “In-Between”.

Lord, thank you for being our Light in the darkness of the “In-Between.”  May we bask in Your Light as we seek You in Scripture, in prayer, and in obedience to Your Word. Let the Light of Your Truth shine in us to a darkened world, that You might get all the glory and honor.  In Jesus’ holy, precious Name, Amen!