I pray that you had a restful sleep in the darkness of night and that you arise and shine in the light of this day, the Lord's Day. "DARKNESS TO LIGHT" talks about people who not only sleep in darkness, but live their whole lives in the dark, and how God brings light to them as well as to us. Read below to find out more!
Blessings,
Jan
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Today's Devotional:
"DARKNESS TO LIGHT"
by
Jan Andersen
When we are in complete darkness, we cannot see anything at all. Even if our eyes adjust in nearly full darkness, we still can only make out vague shapes without color or clear features. It can cause us to run into objects, trip over obstacles, or fall into unseen holes. Deep darkness can be disorienting as well, making us become confused and lose our way.
People who do not know God are living in deep darkness. They may “see” issues in their lives, but not clearly and without full understanding. They may run into obstacles in their lives and not know how to navigate them calmly. Or they may even fall into a deep abyss of depression or addictions. Disoriented by these life challenges they may become confused and lose their way on how to live a fulfilling life.
The prophet Isaiah in chapter 9 wrote about walking in darkness, (echoed by Matthew in his gospel in chapter 4):
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
What is this great light? Isaiah was speaking of God and foretelling the birth of the Christ child, later in that chapter referred to this way: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” And Matthew was saying Jesus was fulfilling this prophecy and preaching in the same land referred to by Isaiah.
Even those of us who know God well can fall into these dark traps. As we take our focus off of God, we can also get lost in the maze of life’s twists and turns without His light to guide us. And if we attempt to hide our problems in the darkness away from God, it just becomes worse. But when we turn it over to God and leave it where it belongs, in His hands, and we relax and trust in Him, it dawns on us that He has had it in his hands all along! He is the One who can shed Light on our darkness and bring peace and healing.
Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for always holding us in your hands and shining your light in our dark places, guiding us to You and giving us your peace and healing. Help us to bring your Light to this dark world, to those languishing in darkness and in dire need of your loving light. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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Song:
LIKE AN AVALANCHE
by Hillsong United
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Prayers are lifted up daily for you by the Devotional Writers and the Monthly Writing Staff of Women's Focus Ministries
Blog writers:
Sandy Billingham, Karen Bennett,
Brother Thomas Ukwute, Jody Ward,
Bre Miller, Lynda Kinnard, Amie Spruiell,
Debbie Rodriguez, Carol Steficek,
Jan Andersen and Corinne Mustafa
This is impeccably written and documented powerfully. It is an interesting
ReplyDeleteblog as usual, Jan.
God bless,
Corinne Mustafa