“Who among you fears the LORD
and obeys the word of his servant?
Let him who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the LORD
and rely on his God.

But now, all you who light fires
and provide yourselves with flaming torches,
go, walk in the light of your fires
and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:
You will lie down in torment.” – Isaiah 50:10-11 (NIV84)

When I recently came across this verse, I was surprised by it. We often read references to Jesus being The Light, or that following God is “walking in the light,” but in this scripture it says that fearing the Lord and obeying his voice can also mean that we are walking “in darkness and have no light.”

I can relate to that. There have been times in my walk with Christ when I could see nary a ray of sunshine! There have been hours of darkness, sadness, grief, and questioning, and according to this scripture, those times don’t mean that one is faithless, but on the contrary may indicate faithFULness. Here the indication of true faith is resisting the temptation to build your own fires, but instead opting to remain in darkness out of trust and reliance on God.

This realization challenged me to examine myself to find areas where I am building fires to light my way instead of trusting in the name of the Lord and relying on my God. It is leading me to increase my reliance on Him and to confess my own inadequacies daily. I admit that I don’t relish the idea of having to wait in darkness as an exercise of faith, but I know that God is trustworthy, whether I can see the light or not.