Overcoming the Darkness

By Rev. Charles M. Ridulph

Overcoming The Darkness explains in Biblical detail how God’s Light shines in the midst of any and all darkness which enters into our collective and individual lives. This is an evil world in which we live and darkness abounds. The realm of darkness can be devastating, but the darkness need not win out. Evil hurts but will not prevail. God has a way of changing things. That is who he is, and that is what he does.

Overcoming The Darkness shows you the victory which is yours to have; the victory over all those fears associated with the dark. God’s Light does indeed shine in the darkness. Yes, in the midst of the darkness the light of Jesus Christ shines brightly. The victory has been won!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: May 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781982247621

Rev. Charles M. Ridulph

Rev. Charles Ridulph is a native of Sycamore, IL. He and his wife Diane have a son and two daughters who along with their spouses and three children who also live in Sycamore, and a daughter and son-in-law along with four children who live near Austin, TX. He received his theological education from Concordia University of Wisconsin, and Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He also is certified for prison ministry through Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in association with Prison Fellowship. He retired as the director of Christian Senior Ministries in 2013, a ministry which he founded. He has served as police chaplain with the Sycamore Police Department, and chaplain with the Illinois Department of Corrections. He presently serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Hampshire, IL.

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Interior Graphics/Art Credit: McKenzie Rae Palm

ISBN: 978-1-9822-4761-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-4762-1 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 05/29/2020

Cover and Interior Art

By

McKenzie Rae Palm

Dedicated to

The Glory of God

Contents

Introduction

Chapter One

The Realm Of Darkness

Chapter Two

Knowing God

Chapter Three

Listening To God

Chapter Four

The YMCA Connection

Chapter Five

Sin Has Consequences

Chapter Six

The Reality Of Faith

Chapter Seven

Living In Prayer

Chapter Eight

The Spiritual Realm

Chapter Nine

The Realm Of Forgiveness

Chapter Ten

The Prison Affect

Chapter Eleven

Trust Means Everything

Chapter Twelve

The Hospital Connection

Chapter Thirteen

Living Without Fear

Chapter Fourteen

Patience

Chapter Fifteen

The Lord Is My Shephard

Introduction

God said, Let there be light, and there was light.

Genesis 1:3

My wife Diane and I used to vacation with our children and grandchildren, and we continued this practice until some of the grandchildren were in college. As the kids grew older it became harder and harder to get them all together. I really miss it. I loved it. It was a time for us to all be together. It was then that I had a captive audience so to speak with the ones I loved most. Even Diane, who does not like to travel, admitted that it was a good thing. It was on these vacations that we would do and see things that we normally would not if the kids had not been with us.

It was on one of those summer family vacations to the Virginias that we went to an old coal mine. Over the years we have visited many caves, but I must admit this was something different. My wife Diane and I are both leery of confined spaces. I am a little bit more adventurous, but we were all surprised that Diane went with us. But into the darkness we went.

The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine in West Virginia gave the visitor the complete picture of what a coal miner’s life was like. And that picture centered around darkness. You could sense it. You could feel it. It seemed as though you could touch it. It was not natural, and it certainly was not healthy.

The same is true for all walks of life, darkness, especially prolonged periods of darkness, is not healthy for us. Here in Sycamore, IL, where I live, we recently set a record for the number of consecutive days without seeing the sun. It was eerie. It was depressing. It is even suicidal for some. And as bad as physical darkness can be, spiritual darkness is even worse.

Part of my morning devotion today was based upon Matthew 5:14-15. This devotion was not by my choosing, but I certainly do not think that it was a coincidence. It read in part as follows: People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. The commentary went on to say that darkness hides; that sin hides in the darkness. Yes, sin hides in the secrecy of our home, our devices, our books, and especially our thoughts. This is what sin does. It snuffs out the faith and life of the Christian. We try to stop, try to turn, try to dispel the darkness in our lives, but we just cannot become bright enough to get out of it. But the good news is that the love of God in Christ Jesus shines through darkness.

When my family and I were in that cave there was a point in which they announced that they were going to extinguish all the lights. When they did there was total darkness. They then turned on one little flashlight off in the distance. It was then that you could realize just how bright the smallest of lights becomes in the midst of darkness. You see, the incredible thing about light is how it scatters darkness and illuminates all that is around.

God’s promise to us is that in the midst of darkness comes the light of Jesus Christ. We cannot overcome the darkness of sin in this world, but Jesus can.

You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns

my darkness into light. With your help I can advance

against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.

Psalm 18:28-29

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You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14

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Chapter One

The Realm Of Darkness

The central theme of this book is that God’s light shines in the darkness. And in a world filled with darkness it is certainly good to know that not only is God with us, but that his light shines brightly.

Jesus tells us that he is the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. You see, light and life go hand-in-hand.

When I was in school studying for the ministry one of the first sermons I prepared was on this theme of light. In fact, that was the first sermon I ever preached in a church. I remember my family was all there and afterward I recall my brother-in-law saying how he had never heard the word light used so many times. The text for that message was, "For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6) Can you picture it? I can. And this is something which I need to see, especially in this dark world in which we live.

Have you ever been to a hardware store looking for a light fixture, or for that matter, even simply looking for a light bulb? There is nothing simple about it. But God said let light shine out of darkness. That sounds simple. But you need to remember that God was the one who said it. This was the almighty God at work. The first time he said that was at creation. God simply said let there be light, and there was light. At the time of creation God is referring to the physical gift of light, the light which was needed to physically change the darkness. Much the same as you need a light fixture to lighten a dark room. It was not until after sin entered the world that the gift of light became more associated with our spiritual well-being. After the fall of sin, darkness became associated with things that go bump in the night.

As time progressed, so did evil, and evil is generally associated with darkness. Man was unable to walk at night for fear of both beast and also his so called fellow man. Until the 20th century light and darkness divided the day. With the setting of the sun darkness dominated what you would do, and when or where you would do it. Yes, it is true that the edges of darkness could be temporarily neutralized by a campfire, the hearth’s flame, an oil lamp, a candle, or a torch, but between dusk and dawn darkness always finally won.

We often think of modern culture as enlightened, but in reality the forces of darkness have never worked more fiercely to destroy the Light of the world and his message of hope. The terror of the night is real.

Light is given by God to permeate the darkness, the physical darkness, and the evils that go with it. But his light is given also to combat the spiritual darkness, along with its evils. The Bible tells us that everything exposed by the light becomes visible. When the light, whether it be physical or the true spiritual Light makes everything visible, you are able to discern the evil from the good.

Is there really darkness in the world? Why all this paranoia with the dark anyway? Don’t we tell our children that there is no such thing as the boogeyman? Don’t you show them that when you turn on the light that nothing is hiding under the bed? What do you think?

I think we all know that the physical evil or darkness which is bred and nourished by sin is real in this world. We see it all the time. And that is why the placement and the prominence of the light is so important. Just like the campfire in olden times was necessary to ward off wild animals, so the street light today is necessary to ward off the criminal. And the spiritual evil or darkness which is bred and nourished by sin is even more real. In fact it is more frightening than its physical companion. Evil is real. In times of old you searched out the campfire for safety, and today, you must also search out the Light.

The Bible tells you that God made his light shine in our hearts. Here he is not talking about the physical light referred to in creation. He is talking about the light of the new creation. He is talking about the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. And that light needs to be prominent. It needs to be dominant in order to be effective.

When the Lord brought upon Egypt a plague of darkness, a darkness so deep that it could be felt, the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. That light was the promise of deliverance. And today your light is the reality of that deliverance through the true Light, Jesus Christ. Yes, the Light continues to deliver you out of darkness.

God made his light shine in your heart. You have been delivered from the darkness, and Jesus tells you that you are the light of the world. God made his light shine in your heart so that you would know, so that you would see, the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And this light which changes all things is shown to you in the face of Jesus. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) What a miracle. The light which is shown to you in the face of Jesus. The Light showing you the light, so that you may benefit from the light.

What does this light, this revelation, mean to us today? I have mentioned the protection from the evil one, and the evil things of this world. We also know about the transformation which the Light brings about in you. And as important as these are, there is one all-important gift which the Light gives you. The gift which comes from seeing the Glory of God in the face of Christ; the gift of life.

The light which God has given to shine in your heart allows you to live without the fear, the fear of all things, including the fear of death. This is true freedom. This is true deliverance. You see, you are free to live. The Light has freed you to live. God is the source, and Jesus is the means. In the Light, that is Jesus Christ, you are given eternal life. God is the one who said let light shine out of darkness. God said let there be light, and there was light.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

Psalm 27:1

There was once a pilgrim who visited a great Rabbi’s house, and was astonished to see that the rabbi’s home was only a simple room filled with books. The only furniture was a table and a bench. Rabbi, where’s your furniture? asked the tourist. Where is yours? responded the Rabbi. Mine? But I’m passing through, I’m only a visitor here. The Rabbi looked at him and said, So am I.

Well, it is not popular to talk about this mortality thing, but as I write this it is in the light that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. And at the beginning of Lent we take it pretty seriously. As we have ashes placed on our foreheads, and the words are spoken to us, Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Pretty bleak isn’t it? Kind of dark. But to hear about mortality and eternal life; to hear about dust and glory, both at the same time, this is the invitation of Ash Wednesday.

Not so long ago I officiated at a grave-side service out in the cold. The wind was blowing, and we are all wrapped with our coats tightly around us. We were gathered before the coffin, and I spoke the familiar words of committal: Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. I think about that day as we celebrate Ash Wednesday. Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.

You know, ashes call up images of intense heat and fire, but the memory of a cold wind howling around us at those burials on those winter days gone by give us a reminder of the cold finality of death. Those dark cold days give us a reminder of the pain of relinquishing our loved ones, and ultimately ourselves, to the dark ground. We have been given the gift of life, and we have taken hold of that gift and moved through life with power. But then to finally lie still and cold in the frozen earth while the wind howls about the cemetery seems the bitterest of ironies.

Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. It is easy to hear only those words at the committal. It is easy to become so aware that whoever we are, whatever we do, the cold finality of death is the fate of us all. It is easy to realize that a howling wind will one day blow across our burial places as well. It is easy to hear only the words of committal at times of grief, and death, and loss, and to forget that they are not the only words spoken then. There are other words that precede those words. There are other words that are able to turn the temptation of cynicism or despair into the possibility of hope. Words which can turn us from darkness into light. For the committal does not begin with earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. It begins, In the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our brother or our sister. For you see, there is more to death than earth to earth or a howling wind, or the cold finality of the committal. There is more to death than darkness.

Today I share with you this reflection on death and burial not to be morbid, but so that we might all be reminded of our own mortality. Yes, our mortality is a reality, but it is also the beginning of a journey from ashes to life. The committal at a burial proclaims a journey from a life bound by ashes and howling winds to a life sprung free into the gentle breezes of God’s eternal love. Yes, it is a call to humility; a call to recognize that we are of the earth, of dust and ashes. But it is also a call to know that beyond all of that we are what we are, and become what we will become, by the power and grace of God in Jesus Christ.

We are not God. We do not endure forever. Our projects and perspectives, our dreams and our schemes are not the same as God’s. They do not have God’s truth, power, or permanence. We are mortal and fallible. We are prone to error and misperceptions, and yes, even to pride and vanity. I remind you of our call to humility, a call to say that we are of the earth, and that God is of eternity. We are called to turn away from whatever it is that has us in its grip, and is consuming and defining our lives apart from God. It is a time for each of us to humbly and reverently bow before God, confessing our sins, recognizing what we deserve from God, and begging for his mercy. It is a time to emphasize and take special notice of the great sacrifice that Christ made to reconcile the world to our heavenly Father. And that great cost of our salvation will lead us to place God’s unconditional love foremost in our lives. The great cost of our salvation will lead us out of the darkness into his marvelous light.

I ask you to acknowledge that we are wounded people. Yes, we have all been wounded, every one of us, by friends and family, bosses and teachers, rulers and institutions. There is a cold wind that swirls in our hearts long before it swirls across our burial places. Now is the time to acknowledge those wounds, and lay them down. Lay them down at the foot of the cross to let the healing begin through the love and sacrifice of Christ. It is time to let the light of Christ shine in the darkness of the world; your world.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to

you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:5

Recently in one of those Dear Abby kind of newspaper columns someone said that they felt like everybody is dying. They said that they knew they could not control who lives or dies, but that they needed to get a handle on how to deal with the darkness of it all.

This person was given some good advice. They were told to seek grief counseling. They were told to make conscious choices to engage in activities that stimulate and bring joy. They were told to exercise and participate in events with friends who are uplifting. They were told to read an engaging and positive book. And all of these are good suggestions.

Then they were told to write down aphorisms and post them in strategic places of their home, and when feeling down turn to them to brighten their day.

I must admit that I had to look up aphorism in the dictionary. It is defined as a short pithy sentence stating a general doctrine or truth. I also had to look up pithy. It is defined as having substance or point. I can only guess that the person answering this letter was afraid to come right out and tell them to go to their Bible.

Death comes to us all, and death is not our friend. Death was not God’s original plan for us. It is the result of sin. But the Bible is full of words of comfort and assurance when it comes to death. This person wanted to know how to get a handle on dealing with death. The answer to that question is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is

eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? Thanks

be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Have you ever gone on a ghost tour? Diane and I have gone on several. They are always at night. What would a ghost walk be without darkness? The darker the better except with maybe a little moonlight for effect. And almost all of them included a cemetery. No death…no ghost.

How many of you enjoy talking about death? How many of you make it a part of your daily conversation? Not many I bet. I know that it is not part of my daily conversation. In fact there are a lot of people who will not allow themselves to even consider the subject of death. Perhaps there is not a subject so important which is so little thought of. The tendency is to say that we must live. When many times it would be wiser to say that we must die. For there is no necessity for life; life is a prolonged miracle. But death on the other hand, death is a necessity. Why do you think that after the fall into sin God placed a guard around the tree of life?

I bet you did not know this, but in ancient Egypt we are told that at every feast there was always one extraordinary guest that sat at the head of the table. He ate