October 1, 2026
I do not like driving at night. I will admit I am not a great driver at night. It just seems like it gets harder and harder to see well in the dark. Last Friday night, Wayne was driving me and one of our granddaughters home after visiting with our other grandchildren in Buford. It was around 10:00.
We live in the "country," so some of the roads we travel on are very dark with no streetlights. I had just commented to Wayne to be careful and watch for deer. Those words had just come out of my mouth when we were instantly hit by a deer. We were all okay, but I cannot say the same for my car. Unfortunately, my car did not survive the impact of the deer.
I don't like the dark because it is so hard to see what is in front of you. Thankfully, God can see in the dark. I am sure He protected us from being hurt that night because He knew what was in front of us. We all face dark times in our lives. It might be a financial struggle, a sickness, a death, or a job loss. There are so many hard and dark times we might encounter. God doesn't promise this life will be easy or without struggles.
So often we feel alone when we are in those dark times, maybe even like God has forgotten us. It's easy to feel so overwhelmed that we don't know which way to go because we feel like we can't see or hear God. I have learned and am thankful that God can see in the dark even when I cannot.
One of the darkest times of my life was dealing with our youngest daughter's disability. She is 41 now, but has struggled since day one of her life. The older she got, the harder it was. When she was 13, it was almost unbearable. She was very limited in her understanding, which caused horrible anger issues. She was a big girl, and honestly, we knew we were running the risk of her hurting herself or someone else. It would take at least three people to restrain her when she got upset, and it happened several times a week, sometimes daily.
People kept mentioning a place called Hillside that was a long-term treatment facility in Atlanta. Of course, we checked, and it was, first of all, very expensive and second of all, very hard to get into. In March of this particular year, we petitioned the State for funding to pay for the cost of the treatment facility. We were informed that the State's fiscal year started on July 1st, so our funding would not start until that time. We were also told that Hillside had a waiting list, and our chances were not good to get into the facility. However, with God, nothing is impossible, even when it seems very bleak. This was one of my darkest times in my life, but I am thankful God can see in the dark when I cannot.
We had just hired a new associate pastor at our church. His wife and I became friends while keeping the nursery. She was one of those people who taught me to ask the hard questions because she questioned me about everything that was going on. Sometimes you just need someone to ask. I shared my story and struggles with her. She worked for a large company downtown, and her boss just happened to be the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Hillside. Thankfully, God can see in the dark when I cannot. She was able to get our paperwork to him, and our daughter was accepted into the program as of the first of April.
However, there was another issue. Our funding from the State would not kick in until the first of July, so we would have to be private pay until that time, at around $5,000 a month. We certainly didn't have that kind of money. In a matter of about three weeks, the worship pastor at our church of about 400-450 people organized a Sunday evening benefit concert for us. On that one night, they raised over $16,000, which would pay Hillside until our funding started. I'm so thankful God can see and provide in the dark even when I cannot.
One of the hardest things we have ever done is to place our daughter in residential care. It was one of the darkest moments of my life, but because of that horribly hard time, I know and am thankful God can see in the dark even when I cannot.
If you are walking through a dark time in your life, just remember God is the light and He shines and leads the way even when we cannot see. Psalms 18:28 says, "You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light." Micah 7:8 says, "Rejoice not over me, Oh my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me." Remember - God provides light, guidance, and restoration - even in the dark.
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Jill Johnson finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother, and Georgian. Jill is retired from the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
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