Seeing in the Dark

Apollo 13

written by Jimmy Myers
(excerpt from Devotions for Guys Who Like Movies)

Isaiah 42:16 (NIV)
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) was telling a newsman the story of flying his fighter jet back from a raid during the Vietnam War. There was apparently an electrical malfunction and all the lights in his cockpit went out. There was no light at all. He couldn’t see his instruments, his compass, or any other navigational gages, and he was running low on fuel. But come to find out, BECAUSE there was absolutely no light, it was dark enough for him to be able to see the trail of phosphorescent algae that is churned up after the passing of a big ship… like his home aircraft carrier. He recounted that he was able to follow the glowing ribbon of light in the darkness, and it led him straight home.

Many times we are so intimidated by the darkness of our lives that we fail to notice God in the midst of the blackness. His promise through the prophet Isaiah is that He will turn our darkness into light before us and make the rough places in our lives smooth. Jesus echoed those words when He said that He would never leave us nor forsake us…Never! No matter how dark life may become. James said that we should count all the trials that we experience as pure joy because they are for our ultimate benefit.

I think that God is reminding us that sometimes we need life to be pitch black, so that we can see the light of His path for us. Sometimes it’s when there is no other light at all that we are able to more clearly follow His desires and purposes. Sometimes, we who are blinded by the darkness need to be led down unfamiliar paths for His Glory…and our ultimate benefit. Whether it makes sense to us or not.

Here is a video clip of that memorable scene (stop the clip around 1:38)

this devotional taken from Devotions for Guys Who Like Movies