February 11, 2005	Read Micah 3
“Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without revelation. The sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them.” (v. 6)
A FEAR OF DARKNESS I remember as a youngster being afraid to go into our basement. Now, that fear wasn't present every time I went down there, but it often manifested itself when the basement was dark. God often uses darkness as a metaphor for evil. I think it is because most people have experienced fear of darkness or fear due to darkness. People understand a fear of darkness. Once again the children of Israel were not listening to God. They had turned away from him. So God stopped listening to their cries and put them into darkness. Verse 4 says: “Then they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have acted wickedly.” Yet we are so much luckier: God no longer hides his face because of what Christ has done for us. It doesn't seem to be a coincidence that Christ is the Light. As in our world, the light shows us what is really there when it is dark and helps us overcome our fears. Christ the Light does the same for us. He exposes evil and shows us how to overcome our fears. Children are often scared of the dark. As they grow, they learn the truth about the dark and that fear subsides. As we grow in the Light, the fear of the darkness (evil) subsides, and hopefully we learn about the Truth.   God, lead us into the Light. Let us remember that the Lord is among us and that we can take his hand to lead us out of the darkness. Release our fear and help us to release others’ fear. For with you there is nothing to fear. The Light shines on everything. Bob Weaver

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