Tag: Light

The Shadows

He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 
John 1:1-5

Have you ever been afraid in the dark? Have shadows played “tricks” on you? Did you ever think you saw something and then realized it was just a shadow of something small that looked scary or intimidating?

Oh, the complications that come from the darkness! Whether it is due to fear, shame, or embarrassment, when a portion of your life is in the dark, the results seem to be similar. The darkness distorts how we see our situation and it also complicates how our situation can be viewed by others. Those who are in a position to help can’t exactly see where they can help.

Darkness can shut people out and that isolation only complicates our situation.

Allowing God’s love, light, forgiveness, and redemption into our dark space can bring healing.

Let the Son shine in!

Darkness

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 
John 1:1-5

Those things that are hidden in the darkness can cause a lot of problems. They might be tucked away in a corner and it might feel as though it has been forgotten but satan loves to use it as a piece of “I told you so,” or “You’ll never change,” or “That was unforgivable.”

Those lies … they fester in the dark …. they linger and take root like a weed. And, worst of all, they seem to multiply and become more and more oppressive. When we insist there is no right or wrong — no Light or dark — then we find that we have to defend our position.

Even when we are dead wrong…

The way to fix any of it is to allow the Light of the world to flood in and bring His Love and Life — the forgiveness, the perspective, the peace that can only come from Jesus. It takes humility as well as knowing our place in the Universe. This allowing comes when we recognize that God is God and we are not.

May God’s love and light flood every corner of our lives and bring forth forgiveness and restoration.

In the beginning…

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5

Let’s back it up to the beginning and take a look at what was. How it all began.

The Word. The Light. The Life.

And let’s focus on the Light. To be honest, I am feeling the darkness, and it is a bit overwhelming. So, I need to make sure The Light is around me.

The Light helps my perspective…. it helps my vision….. it helps my processing. It helps me see what is true and good. And it is so amazing what a little bit of light can do in a dark place!

I am holding onto this promise:

“And the darkness has not overcome it.”

Shades of Death

There are seasons in life where we find ourselves in the shades of death; where trouble or discouragement or illness have surrounded us and we have not felt joy. We are simply sitting in darkness or under the cover cold, dark, and moody clouds of circumstance that drain our ability to smile and laugh.

Honestly, that feels like a typical February for me. I hate not seeing or feeling the sun. Day after day it is gloomy but when there is a moment — even just a sunny hour or the thrill of a sunny day. My goodness. It is so exciting!

Sometimes my soul gets trapped under the weight of discouragement, doubt, and distortions of reality. It needs to be in the presence of the Son — to feel the warmth and encouragement and to feel the Life only Jesus can bring to us.

After sitting in darkness, it takes time to readjust. The light can be bright. Sometimes even overwhelming for eyes that have not been exposed to it recently. Go slowly. Practice absorbing the light.

Heavenly Father, Bring Your light to me. Let it shine in the dark places and bring life to where there seems to be only shades of death. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“The People That in Darkness Sat”

The people that in darkness sat
A glorious light have seen;
The light has shined on them who long
In shades of death have been.

To hail Thee, Sun of Righteousness,
The gathering nations come;
They joy as when the reapers bear
Their harvest treasures home.

For Thou their burden dost remove
And break the tyrant’s rod
As in the day when Midian fell
Before the sword of God.

To us a Child of hope is born,
To us a Son is given,
And on His shoulder ever rests
All power in earth and heaven.

His name shall be the Prince of Peace,
The Everlasting Lord,
The Wonderful, the Counselor.
The God by all adored.

His righteous government and power
Shall over all extend;
On judgment and on justice based,
His reign shall have no end.

Lord Jesus, reign in us, we pray,
And make us Thine alone,
Who with the Father ever art
And Holy Spirit, one.

by John Morison, 1749-1798

Light

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. [Genesis 1:1-19, NIV]

From the very beginning there was light but we quickly outgrew what the sun, moon, and stars provided for us and we now have an industry of incredible light variety:

Spotlights. Headlights. Floodlights.

Florescent lights. LED lights. Incandescent lights.

Candle light. Glow lights. Grow lights.

Black lights. Flashing lights. Neon lights. Stop lights.

Flashlights. Nightlights. Firelight.

Solar lights. Reading lights. Happy Lights.

We have so many different ways to illuminate and most are designed to help us see better. When we are able to see better, we are able to share light with others. As you think about the concept of light and darkness and love and hate where are you feeling convicted?

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. [1 John 2:9-10, NIV]

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. [John 1:4-5, NIV]

May God enlighten you in the areas of your life He is calling out of the darkness!

Liz

PrayerPrompt: AIR

Perspective II

Grand Canyon w.jpeg

Wow. The Grand Canyon. Have you ever been there? It is incredibly huge. So huge that you need to spend a little time looking just so you can see. My brother went 30 years ago and he told me there isn’t a picture that can do it justice. So far, I agree. But there were plenty of us trying to capture a bit of the beauty of this place.

We went at the end of the day so there was some amazing light and incredible shadows. The sun was shining and there weren’t very many clouds. The light from the sun flooded all the cracks and crevices. But as the sun was setting, there were these shadows that really played with what I was seeing. They made some of the rock formations appear paper-thin. I knew it wasn’t true, yet I could see it with my own eyes. I knew what was true but my eyes told me what I knew was wrong.

Seeing isn’t everything. How many times are we right in front of something but we don’t see it? Or we thought we saw something but didn’t? If we witness an accident and the police officer questions us, we might give a version of the story that is different then the next person who has another perspective.

I was so surprised by what the shadows did in the canyon. And, digging a little deeper, what shadows can do in my life. Those shadows can be dark places; dark enough to mess with what I see. And my perspective gets messed up.

When I view my circumstances under the Light of God’s Word, it changes how I see things and gives me a full view of what I am facing.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb. [Psalm 139: 11-13, NIV]

May the light of God’s Word flood your circumstance and bring you to a greater understanding and perspective.

Liz

PrayerPrompt: VISION

Grand Canyon Blues w.jpeg

PrayerPoint ~ Let’s Be Real ~ March 24

Do you find it hard to be real? Is it hard to admit you sometimes respond in a less than ideal way when confronted with a conflict in your home? Are there days when it is just plain ugly at your house? You know, the kind of day when nothing is said the right way or heard the right way and the tension makes you want to puke? Or am I the only one that has those?

  • The kids are out of control and you dread the moment you are ‘found out’.
  • You and your spouse been at odds for years but all you see are the seemingly happy-go-lucky couples skipping through life together.
  • You are barely squeaking by, paycheck-to-paycheck , and you have thousands of dollars in credit card debt as well as a mortgage and a car loan.
  • There are weeks or months when you don’t even glance towards your Bible.
  • You have forgotten how to pray.

Satan does his best work in the dark. He likes to isolate us and convince us that everything is incredible in everyone else’s home but ours. Don’t believe him for a minute. He has always been a liar.

There is always a risk when we reveal something personal in our lives. It is true not everyone will understand or relate to our struggle, but if we would be real and honest with ourselves (and others) we might find we aren’t the only ones who are tired of the facade of perfection. We each are in desperate need of God’s forgiveness, cleansing, and grace.

If you find you are groping around in the dark, allow God’s Light and God’s Word to illuminate your situation.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:5-8 NIV

Regular church attendance, personal and small group Bible study, and strong Christian friends who will pray for  you as well as encourage and challenge you are all  great ways to hear God’s Word and His Truth. Take a risk, be real, and get connected. No one has a perfect life here on Earth although I think there are definitely “seasons” in life.

May your Spring come soon!

Liz