Chaplain's Corner: Finding light in the darkness

By Colin Johnson, Neighbourhood Chaplain, Hockliffe Street Baptist Church.

"Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid" (Psalm 23).

Years ago, my neighbour told me about the bereavements and other bad things her family had been through that year. She said: "I think God has abandoned me!" Perhaps this is something that you have said or felt?

This dark valley can take the form of loss, relationship breakdown, failure, disappointment, worries, and concerns about the problems in the world. In these times when we're feeling lost, we look for ways to be distracted to cover the pain: social media, advertising, TV, work, bad habits, substances, etc.

In hard times like these, we can even try to change our circumstances by moving jobs or houses, or by changing our relationships. The problem is that whatever we do to change what's outside of us does not solve the problem, the hurt that is on the inside.

A prophet and king in the Bible, David, wrote about going through the darkest of valleys, but his solution wasn't distraction or changing his circumstances. He wrote in Psalm 23, one of the most popular passages in the Bible, that God is our Good Shepherd who is with us even through the dark valley of death. His presence gives strength and hope.  Repeatedly in his psalms (sacred songs), David reminds himself (and us) of how faithful God is and will never abandon those who have faith in him.  Amidst sorrow and depression, David never listens to the voice in his head that says God has left me or doesn't care.

So even if you are in a place where you don't feel God's love, it doesn't mean He isn't present. Even if the darkness does not lift, "the darkness is not dark to him" (Psalm 139:12), and there is always hope. Don't give up; reach out to God in prayer. If you would like help to do this, contact one of your local churches, or my website www.lifeofhope.online