G-d led the people with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. As the Egyptians caught up with the people at nightfall, the pillar of cloud hid the light of the pillar of fire from the Egyptians, leaving them in darkness and the Jewish people in the light.
It came between the Egyptian camp and the Israelite camp. There was cloud and darkness but it lit up the night. Neither came near the other all through the night.
Exodus 14:20
The words “it lit up the night” imply that the darkness itself became a source of illumination.
Spiritual darkness – the apparent absence of Divine revelation and clarity – exists only from our limited perspective. From G-d’s perspective, “night is as bright as day, and darkness as light.”
Darkness is a challenge we are meant to overcome and thereby reap the benefits that are gained by overcoming it.
One way we can approach this challenge is to ignore the darkness by focusing on the light. This will dispel the darkness, even if it is seemingly much greater than the little light we possess. This strategy will suffice to carry us through the dark periods of life. But the ultimate objective is not merely to dispel the darkness but to transform it into light, by turning its negativity into a positive force in our lives. When we succeed in this, the resultant light is infinitely brighter than the light that was shining all along.
-- Daily Wisdom Volume 3