Funky Feet in the Dark!

Have you ever been in the dark? I don’t mean when you turn off the lights in your house and the glow from street light streams through the window, I mean true darkness. If you think of it, how many times have we seen true darkness. I mean so dark that, as they say, you can’t see your hand in front of your face. I remember going down into a cave with a group of people and the guide saying “in a minute we will turn off the lights and you will see, perhaps for the first time, real darkness” Before the lights went out we were admiring the beauty of the cave structures, we could see people all around us and find our way with the lights that were man placed in that area, God’s beauty was all around, but above all we could see the guide who knew how to get us out of there. Once the lights went out we could see nothing, not even if we tried, no amount of squinting or adjusting our eyes helped us, I could not even see the end of my nose. I found myself in a bit of a panic until I heard the tour guide’s voice. I was tempted to go toward his voice and grab him by the ankles and hang on for dear life. Are you beginning to see the darkness?

Today I read Psalm 134 which is the last of the Psalms of Ascent only three verses.

1.Now praise the LORD all you servants of the LORD who stand in the Lord’s house at night!
2.Lift up your hands in the holy place, and praise the Lord!
3.May the LORD, Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.

I have gone through times in my life where the darkness of the burdens I carried kept me from seeing the light. When sadness was a dark, dark veil. Have you ever seen that kind of darkness? Have you noticed that satan has a way of blocking our memory of things praise worthy when we are in the dark? I have, in those times, tried to think of blessings I have received, only to see more darkness? I have found that in those times as the Psalmist says in vs. 2, I have to lift my hands in praise anyway.

As I sat one day in a very dark hour I tried to lift my hands in praise but they would not go up because I could only see darkness. The eyes of my heart darted back and for something praiseworthy but the darkness blinded me. I sat there in that moment and all I could see were my ugly feet and there is nothing praise worthy there. In my desperation, I began to praise God for my feet. I understand that without toes it is hard to keep our balance so I began to thank him for all of my toes. My mind quickly headed back to the darkness when I saw the imperfections of my funky toenails but I continued to my ankles. First thing that came to my mind was “thick” and thick isn’t good but I praised Him anyway. I continued until my hands were in the air even in the dark. As vs. 3 states by then “the Lord, maker of heaven and earth blessed my heart in Zion“. I could see the flicker of light in my dark world. Sometimes we just need to start somewhere and praise even the simple things, even the funny things.

My burdens were still there but I could hear the voice of the “GUIDE” and I was able to give praise even in that dark hour. I knew my GUIDE knew the way out of my darkness and I listen for his voice. Praise the Lord! Start praising God right now for even your funky feet.