A little boy was afraid of the dark. One night his mother told him to go out on the back porch and bring her back the broom. The little boy turned to his mother and said, "Mama, I don't want to go out there.  It's dark."

The mother smiled reassuringly at her son. "You don't have to be afraid of the dark," she explained. "Jesus is out there. He'll look after you and protect you." The little boy looked at his mother real hard and asked, "Are you sure He's out there?"

"Yes, I'm sure. He is everywhere, and He is always ready to help you when you need Him."

The little boy thought about that for a minute and then went to the back door and cracked it a little. Peering out into the darkness, he called, "Jesus? If you're out there, would you please hand me the broom?"

That's how we want to handle difficult situations sometimes, especially when it's dark and scary outside in the real world. I'll stay here, God, and you hand me the broom. We don't really want to walk where we can't see, even if we know the Lord is there beside us. We'd rather He just handle things for us, sparing us from ever having to "walk by faith, and not by sight." (2 Cor. 5:7)

However, genuine faith usually requires that we walk through trials and tribulations of some kind, because we aren't always inclined to cling to God unless we have to. It is very often frightening, but it's where God grows our dependence on Him. Even in the dark places.

The secret, I believe, is learning to live our lives daily in the presence of the Lord, so that He becomes more to us than a superstitious good luck charm when we're afraid. I hope and pray that your relationship with God is vibrant and growing these days, even through this crazy pandemic, and that He is building your faith as you learn to walk with Him in whatever circumstances that come your way.

Have a blessed weekend!
--Pastor Ken