1 00:00:02,630 --> 00:00:04,070 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,820 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk Devotional. We're glad to have you 3 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 2: listening with us. Today's topic is about why you don't 4 00:00:18,940 --> 00:00:22,620 Speaker 2: have to fear what hides in the dark. We'll return 5 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,940 Speaker 2: with a devotional after a brief message from our sponsors. 6 00:00:40,010 --> 00:00:42,540 Speaker 2: You don't have to fear what hides in the dark. 7 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 2: Written and read by Deidre Braley. Hebrews 2, 14-15 Since 8 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 2: the children have flesh and blood, Jesus, too, shared in 9 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,380 Speaker 2: their humanity, so that by his death he might break 10 00:00:58,450 --> 00:01:01,290 Speaker 2: the power of him who holds the power of death, 11 00:01:02,030 --> 00:01:05,430 Speaker 2: that is, the devil, and free those who all their 12 00:01:05,490 --> 00:01:09,090 Speaker 2: lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 13 00:01:11,550 --> 00:01:14,869 Speaker 2: Our children have become afraid of the dark. Our daughter 14 00:01:14,930 --> 00:01:17,210 Speaker 2: sleeps with her door open now to let in a 15 00:01:17,230 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 2: crack of light. And many nights after bedtime, our son 16 00:01:20,860 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 2: wanders out of his room and calls down the stairs 17 00:01:23,420 --> 00:01:23,740 Speaker 2: for me. 18 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 3: I'm scared, he will say, bleary-eyed and slumping. 19 00:01:30,020 --> 00:01:32,860 Speaker 2: In the cocoon of his room, he imagines the beasts 20 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 2: he has read about in his books. He hears noises 21 00:01:36,390 --> 00:01:40,310 Speaker 2: he can't identify. He looks outward and all he can 22 00:01:40,350 --> 00:01:43,470 Speaker 2: see is darkness. and he shudders to think of whatever 23 00:01:43,530 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 2: lies hidden within it. Downstairs in the kitchen, all the 24 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 2: lights are on, and it still smells like whatever we 25 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:55,340 Speaker 2: had for dinner. I am packing lunches, pre-setting coffee, wiping 26 00:01:55,380 --> 00:02:00,940 Speaker 2: down counters. Everything is in order. In this brightly lit space, 27 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:06,410 Speaker 2: his fears feel distant, improbable. I'm watching over him, and 28 00:02:06,450 --> 00:02:10,550 Speaker 2: I'm certain no beasties will get him tonight. But as 29 00:02:10,610 --> 00:02:14,030 Speaker 2: I lead him back up the stairs, through the dark hallway, 30 00:02:14,340 --> 00:02:17,220 Speaker 2: and into his bed once more, it is as though 31 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 2: I am seven years old again too. I see the shadows. 32 00:02:22,500 --> 00:02:25,579 Speaker 2: I know what it's like to lie awake, afraid of 33 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:29,190 Speaker 2: what hides in the dark. So I lay beside him 34 00:02:29,250 --> 00:02:32,190 Speaker 2: for a while. Then I rub his back and tuck 35 00:02:32,230 --> 00:02:35,490 Speaker 2: the covers up under his chin to make sure nothing 36 00:02:35,690 --> 00:02:39,010 Speaker 2: can get to him there. And when I wake up 37 00:02:39,210 --> 00:02:41,690 Speaker 2: in the middle of the night, my mind racing with 38 00:02:41,830 --> 00:02:46,730 Speaker 2: existential dread and worries about looming disaster and grief, I'm 39 00:02:46,770 --> 00:02:50,130 Speaker 2: no different than my children. In the darkness of my 40 00:02:50,190 --> 00:02:54,630 Speaker 2: room and my limited understanding, these threats feel as real 41 00:02:54,870 --> 00:02:59,590 Speaker 2: as real can be. There's no doubt about it. The 42 00:02:59,650 --> 00:03:04,370 Speaker 2: human experience can be terribly frightening. What I like to 43 00:03:04,410 --> 00:03:08,010 Speaker 2: remember during these times is myself as a parent, standing 44 00:03:08,030 --> 00:03:10,940 Speaker 2: in the brightly lit kitchen, knowing that even if my 45 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 2: child is feeling afraid in his particular room, I am 46 00:03:14,660 --> 00:03:17,980 Speaker 2: presiding over the whole house and that he is safe 47 00:03:18,180 --> 00:03:21,839 Speaker 2: and that everything is in order. Though he may not 48 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 2: sense it when the lights are turned off in his 49 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:28,510 Speaker 2: own bedroom, he is actually surrounded on all sides by 50 00:03:28,570 --> 00:03:34,810 Speaker 2: light and love and security. I think it's the same 51 00:03:35,410 --> 00:03:41,190 Speaker 2: with us and God. But we are not just contained 52 00:03:41,250 --> 00:03:44,990 Speaker 2: within His care and the light of His goodness, because 53 00:03:45,230 --> 00:03:48,110 Speaker 2: God did not choose to stay in the brightly lit 54 00:03:48,130 --> 00:03:54,740 Speaker 2: space where our fears were distant and removed from His reality. Jesus, 55 00:03:55,300 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 2: God in the flesh, came to dwell with humanity and was, 56 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:04,340 Speaker 2: as it says in Hebrews 2.10, the pioneer of their salvation. 57 00:04:05,860 --> 00:04:09,660 Speaker 2: He engaged with the darkness and wrestled with the power 58 00:04:09,750 --> 00:04:13,590 Speaker 2: of death, that darkness that haunts us mortals and keeps 59 00:04:13,670 --> 00:04:17,229 Speaker 2: us lying wide-eyed and terrified in our bedrooms at night, 60 00:04:18,350 --> 00:04:21,050 Speaker 2: and came out on the other side gripping the keys 61 00:04:21,350 --> 00:04:26,099 Speaker 2: to death and Hades. He entered into our greatest nightmare 62 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 2: with us so that we wouldn't have to live in 63 00:04:28,300 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 2: fear of what hides in the dark all our lives. 64 00:04:32,460 --> 00:04:34,580 Speaker 3: In doing so, he showed us that he has the 65 00:04:34,620 --> 00:04:35,260 Speaker 3: final say. 66 00:04:35,890 --> 00:04:39,030 Speaker 2: That He holds the ultimate power, and that we are 67 00:04:39,089 --> 00:04:44,720 Speaker 2: children who are surrounded by His light. Intersecting Faith and 68 00:04:44,779 --> 00:04:49,140 Speaker 2: Life In the book of Revelation, John records what new 69 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 2: creation looked like in the vision he received from God. 70 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,359 Speaker 2: He writes, The city does not need the sun or 71 00:04:57,420 --> 00:05:00,060 Speaker 2: the moon to shine on it, for the glory of 72 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 2: God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 73 00:05:04,410 --> 00:05:07,670 Speaker 2: The nations will walk by its light, and the kings 74 00:05:07,810 --> 00:05:11,150 Speaker 2: of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On 75 00:05:11,250 --> 00:05:14,409 Speaker 2: no day will its gates ever be shut, for there 76 00:05:14,490 --> 00:05:19,950 Speaker 2: will be no night there. One day, we will live 77 00:05:19,970 --> 00:05:22,430 Speaker 2: in a place where there is no longer any darkness 78 00:05:22,470 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 2: to fear, no beasts hiding in the dark, and no 79 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:28,100 Speaker 2: dread of the future looming. 80 00:05:27,740 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 3: Beyond what we could see. 81 00:05:30,660 --> 00:05:33,770 Speaker 2: Though we long for that place now, We already have 82 00:05:33,790 --> 00:05:37,490 Speaker 2: a God who is, by His very nature, light and 83 00:05:37,570 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 2: life and love. His glory is already radiant. His power 84 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:49,039 Speaker 2: is already all-encompassing. And His presence is already here, through 85 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:53,540 Speaker 2: His Spirit dwelling with us. So the next time you 86 00:05:53,580 --> 00:05:55,860 Speaker 2: wake up in the night and your mind begins to 87 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,370 Speaker 2: race with worries, try this prayer. 88 00:05:59,930 --> 00:06:04,159 Speaker 3: God, I'm so afraid. And everything feels so dark. 89 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,040 Speaker 2: But I know that you are God of the living 90 00:06:08,060 --> 00:06:09,539 Speaker 2: and that. 91 00:06:09,460 --> 00:06:11,260 Speaker 3: You are also God of the light. 92 00:06:12,700 --> 00:06:15,910 Speaker 2: Please come into this darkness with me and illuminate it 93 00:06:15,950 --> 00:06:20,029 Speaker 2: with your presence. Please help me to see my circumstances 94 00:06:20,089 --> 00:06:21,730 Speaker 2: from your standpoint. 95 00:06:22,089 --> 00:06:25,810 Speaker 3: In a brightly lit place, totally surrounded by light. 96 00:06:27,050 --> 00:06:32,620 Speaker 2: Amen. For further reading, go back and check out Hebrews 97 00:06:32,620 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 2: 2 and Revelation 21. 98 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:35,060 Speaker 3: When you follow Your. 99 00:06:39,210 --> 00:06:42,070 Speaker 1: Daily Prayer in your favorite podcast app, you'll get a 100 00:06:42,070 --> 00:06:44,290 Speaker 1: brand new prayer and devotional each day, so your days 101 00:06:44,310 --> 00:06:58,770 Speaker 1: begin in conversation with God. 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