THE LIGHT COMES ON
I climbed up the 12-foot ladder with my camera in my hands, ready to photograph the rocks I painted; I heard a big crack of thunder and the lights went out. The warehouse had enough natural light for me to see to get off the ladder and go over to check the breakers, but not enough light to get an accurate picture of the rocks to send my boss.
It reminded me of how Jesus is the light of the world. Without Him we’ll never get an accurate picture of anything that’s going on—just smoke and mirrors, what we make up ourselves, or what other people want us to think, but not necessarily the truth. The source of all truth is God, the creator of truth in the first place. His son Jesus Christ shines a light on the truth so that we can see and understand.
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth [is following] me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Light dispels darkness, “For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness” (2 Sam. 22:29). What a great promise. We can repeat this scripture to ourselves until we believe it and expect the Lord to shed light on any dark areas in our lives.
We all have aspects of our life experiences that we don’t quite understand. I was a born-again Christian for many years, without feeling like I had an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. I desired it with all my heart. I prayed about it, and I faithfully read my Bible, but somehow I still didn’t get it. After a while, I forgot about it and just kept reading the Bible and praying about other things. Then one day He just came to visit. It wasn’t a special day, and He didn’t come for any particular reason, except to just visit and watch TV with us. And He’s come many times since, just to hang out. I know what His presence feels like now.
The lights in the warehouse came back on slowly. Sometimes it’s that way with things for us too—we want to understand; we need more light from Jesus on the subject; we pray about it, and the truth comes to us slowly, a little at a time. Sometimes we get clues dropped into our paths from all different people, media, experiences, and then suddenly, bam! They all fit together, and we know those clues were all from the Lord.
At other times Jesus illuminates our circumstances like a floodlight and everything becomes crystal clear instantly.
I’ve learned to trust the Lord on how He wants to deliver the message. I figure it’s always going to be in a way I’ll understand and be able to assimilate the truth it into my life so that I won’t forget.
So today I pray, “Lord turn on the light in our relationships, our finances, our Christian walk, our understanding of current events, and our community. And shine your light on the critical choices we make every day.”
Love, Carolyn
MORE INSPIRING STORIES FOR ADVANCEMENT IN YOUR CHRISTIAN WALK
WINGS: A JOURNEY IN FAITH FROM THE EARTHLY TO THE HEAVENLY
No comments:
Post a Comment