Cleaning up others mess – Devotion for 10/30/08
Last night we had a fall festival and “Trunk-or-treat” at the church, and it was crazy! There were people everywhere, and believe it or not, all the kids actually made a lot of noise (I know, shocking, right?). In the chaos of getting set up for everything I had a guy randomly show up who needed some assistance so off I went to try to help him. As soon as I finished with the dude, I found out it was time for the “trunk-or-treat” to begin, and I had missed supper (or dinner if you prefer). I thought maybe I was going to get to eat after the outside festivities, however then we all went in for the costume contests (I won – I was “Batman” – I simply stood holding a baseball bat – nice, right?). At the end of the evening, all the food had been eaten and put away, and I never got a bite to eat – other than 1 or 20 packs of SweeTarts. As the fellowship hall was a complete mess, I felt the need to help the youth clean up, so we proceeded to clean off all of the tables and pick up the trash. As hungry as I was, I have to admit my thorough disgust at the mess that everyone else had left. Half-eaten hot dogs, chewed on cookies, and spilled drinks – it was really quite gross. All I kept thinking as I was picking up the mess with everyone else was, “I didn’t even get to eat, and here I am cleaning up other people’s mess.”
With that in mind, this morning I came in for my devotion time, and the passage I was supposed to read for today was 1 Peter 2:21-25. Verse 24 in particular stood out for me: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” Sometimes I think I forget how much of my mess Christ had to clean up for me. As I felt disgust at having to clean up other people’s mess when I didn’t even get to eat, I can only imagine what it was like to suffer for something I didn’t even do. Today I want to try to set out with a purpose of living in that way – will to take on other people’s mess so that they may be free.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Be bold - Devotion for 10/28/08
Be bold – Devotion for 10/28/08
If you are the fan of any sports team, you have no problem letting that be known. Even if you are in the midst of fans of different teams, once again, you still don’t have a difficult time showing your support. About the only time that we become a little quiet about the teams that we root for is when our team is doing horribly. Well, there may be another time – such as when we actually at an away game for our team, and we are completely surrounded by the threatening home fans. In that type of situation it may be best for our own personal safety to be a bit quiet. It is in such a context that Paul wrote to Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”(2 Timothy 1:7)
The author of 2 Timothy is imprisoned and it is not a good time to be a follower of the Way. Greatly outnumbered by every other religion of the day, followers of Christ were being persecuted and imprisoned, much in the way that Paul had done earlier in his life. And now the author is writing a letter of encouragement to Timothy, and instead of telling Timothy “lay low and keep quiet,” he instead tells him to be bold, and as he continues in verse 8, to “not be afraid of the testimony of our Lord.”
We all have moments when it would be much easier for us to just “lay low and keep quiet” about our faith. We all have those moments where we are almost “afraid of the testimony of our Lord.” I honestly don’t think I need to spell those out, because I truly believe you can easily think of one or two of those moments right now. I do believe that today we have an opportunity to be bold with our faith, and that when those moments arise that instead of being timid, fearful, or quiet, we will instead be bold.
If you are the fan of any sports team, you have no problem letting that be known. Even if you are in the midst of fans of different teams, once again, you still don’t have a difficult time showing your support. About the only time that we become a little quiet about the teams that we root for is when our team is doing horribly. Well, there may be another time – such as when we actually at an away game for our team, and we are completely surrounded by the threatening home fans. In that type of situation it may be best for our own personal safety to be a bit quiet. It is in such a context that Paul wrote to Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”(2 Timothy 1:7)
The author of 2 Timothy is imprisoned and it is not a good time to be a follower of the Way. Greatly outnumbered by every other religion of the day, followers of Christ were being persecuted and imprisoned, much in the way that Paul had done earlier in his life. And now the author is writing a letter of encouragement to Timothy, and instead of telling Timothy “lay low and keep quiet,” he instead tells him to be bold, and as he continues in verse 8, to “not be afraid of the testimony of our Lord.”
We all have moments when it would be much easier for us to just “lay low and keep quiet” about our faith. We all have those moments where we are almost “afraid of the testimony of our Lord.” I honestly don’t think I need to spell those out, because I truly believe you can easily think of one or two of those moments right now. I do believe that today we have an opportunity to be bold with our faith, and that when those moments arise that instead of being timid, fearful, or quiet, we will instead be bold.
Monday, October 27, 2008
For God's sake - Devotion for 10/27/08
For God’s Sake – Devotion for 10/27/08
When I was growing up, one of my favorite foods was pizza, and particularly pizza from a certain pizza establishment. I just knew that my parents loved me because we would get to eat almost every week. When your parents keep doing something for you like that you truly know that they love you. The problem was that when I got older I found something out: we didn’t eat pizza almost every week because l loved it; we ate pizza almost every week because my dad loved it! There I was all that time thinking that it was about me, when it really wasn’t about me at all – I just got to be the beneficiary of it! That’s probably what it’s going to be when my boys eventually find out how much I love Outback!
In Ezekiel 36:22-32, God is explaining to Israel all the things He is about to do: He will gather Israel together in her own land; He will make them clean; He will given them a new heart and put a new spirit within them; He will even bring forth extra grain, fruit, and produce so that they may not suffer from another famine. Why is He doing all these wonderful things for them? We can find the answer to that at the very first part of this particular passage: “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.”(verse 22)
Sometimes we pray to God asking for something that really is of no benefit to anyone else. Sometimes we live a life that is so self-interested we can’t even begin to see why God does some of the things He does. Living a life full of faith means entrusting all things to Him, accepting God’s will, and trying to live a life for God’s sake. Who knows? We may even get to reap the benefits.
When I was growing up, one of my favorite foods was pizza, and particularly pizza from a certain pizza establishment. I just knew that my parents loved me because we would get to eat almost every week. When your parents keep doing something for you like that you truly know that they love you. The problem was that when I got older I found something out: we didn’t eat pizza almost every week because l loved it; we ate pizza almost every week because my dad loved it! There I was all that time thinking that it was about me, when it really wasn’t about me at all – I just got to be the beneficiary of it! That’s probably what it’s going to be when my boys eventually find out how much I love Outback!
In Ezekiel 36:22-32, God is explaining to Israel all the things He is about to do: He will gather Israel together in her own land; He will make them clean; He will given them a new heart and put a new spirit within them; He will even bring forth extra grain, fruit, and produce so that they may not suffer from another famine. Why is He doing all these wonderful things for them? We can find the answer to that at the very first part of this particular passage: “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.”(verse 22)
Sometimes we pray to God asking for something that really is of no benefit to anyone else. Sometimes we live a life that is so self-interested we can’t even begin to see why God does some of the things He does. Living a life full of faith means entrusting all things to Him, accepting God’s will, and trying to live a life for God’s sake. Who knows? We may even get to reap the benefits.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
You know better - Devotion for 10/23/08
You know better – Devotion for 10/23/08
Do you remember what it was like as a teenager to think that your parents were complete idiots? OK – maybe idiots is a bit of a strong word, but I think you know what I’m talking about. We all went through a period of time where we thought we knew more than our parents about many things, such as what we should eat, what kind of allowance we should get, why we shouldn’t have a curfew, etc. One of the things my Dad used to drive me crazy about when I first got my driver’s license was that whenever I would get ready to leave the house, he would ask me “Do you have your wallet?” Every single time I would have my wallet, and I would fuss at him, “Why do you always ask me if I have my wallet?” And he would explain that he knew me and he knew I tended to forget things (who me?), and so he wanted to make sure I had my wallet with my license and any money just in case I needed it. I remember one evening blowing up at him about always asking me if I had my wallet, telling him that I was old enough to take care of myself. Funny how those things come back to haunt you sometimes.
There I was on a date at Rock-Ola Café in Raleigh. After a lovely dining experience (if such a thing is possible at Rock-Ola), when the waitress brought the bill, and I reached back for my wallet, I realized in terror that my wallet was not there! This was back in the dark ages when we didn’t have cell phones (well, some people might have, but they were about the size of a suit case), and so I was panicking! I couldn’t ask my date to pay the bill – I had at least learned that from my Dad. The only thing I knew to do was to go to the payphone, which fortunately was near the bathrooms, and call home. Tail tucked down, I called my Dad and had to confess that I had forgotten my wallet, and sure enough just a few short minutes later there he was. That was the first of many lessons that I received demonstrating to me how truly smart my father actually was and is.
This morning I was reading in Acts 9, specifically verses 10-18, and in that passage, God speaks to a follower of the way named “Ananias.” God tells Ananias to go and find Saul because Saul has had a vision that a man named Ananias would come and lay hands on him. Ananias knows this name Saul, and he knows all about Saul’s exploits, terrorizing any and all of the followers of Christ, so Ananias decides he needs to explain a thing or two to God, telling him all about all the harm Saul has done, and how he even has the authority to bind all of call on the name of Christ. What I love is Ananias is telling God that God’s plan just doesn’t make sense. God says to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine . . .” And Ananias goes. So many times we want God to give us an answer to a prayer, and when He gives it we don’t like it because it doesn’t make sense to us, and so we try to argue with God about His plans and purposes. I believe that God does the same thing to us that He did to Ananias – bringing certain people into our lives for a purpose. Even though in our heads it is easy to try to argue with God about why it wouldn’t make sense, sometimes we just have to trust that He knows what He is doing.
Do you remember what it was like as a teenager to think that your parents were complete idiots? OK – maybe idiots is a bit of a strong word, but I think you know what I’m talking about. We all went through a period of time where we thought we knew more than our parents about many things, such as what we should eat, what kind of allowance we should get, why we shouldn’t have a curfew, etc. One of the things my Dad used to drive me crazy about when I first got my driver’s license was that whenever I would get ready to leave the house, he would ask me “Do you have your wallet?” Every single time I would have my wallet, and I would fuss at him, “Why do you always ask me if I have my wallet?” And he would explain that he knew me and he knew I tended to forget things (who me?), and so he wanted to make sure I had my wallet with my license and any money just in case I needed it. I remember one evening blowing up at him about always asking me if I had my wallet, telling him that I was old enough to take care of myself. Funny how those things come back to haunt you sometimes.
There I was on a date at Rock-Ola Café in Raleigh. After a lovely dining experience (if such a thing is possible at Rock-Ola), when the waitress brought the bill, and I reached back for my wallet, I realized in terror that my wallet was not there! This was back in the dark ages when we didn’t have cell phones (well, some people might have, but they were about the size of a suit case), and so I was panicking! I couldn’t ask my date to pay the bill – I had at least learned that from my Dad. The only thing I knew to do was to go to the payphone, which fortunately was near the bathrooms, and call home. Tail tucked down, I called my Dad and had to confess that I had forgotten my wallet, and sure enough just a few short minutes later there he was. That was the first of many lessons that I received demonstrating to me how truly smart my father actually was and is.
This morning I was reading in Acts 9, specifically verses 10-18, and in that passage, God speaks to a follower of the way named “Ananias.” God tells Ananias to go and find Saul because Saul has had a vision that a man named Ananias would come and lay hands on him. Ananias knows this name Saul, and he knows all about Saul’s exploits, terrorizing any and all of the followers of Christ, so Ananias decides he needs to explain a thing or two to God, telling him all about all the harm Saul has done, and how he even has the authority to bind all of call on the name of Christ. What I love is Ananias is telling God that God’s plan just doesn’t make sense. God says to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine . . .” And Ananias goes. So many times we want God to give us an answer to a prayer, and when He gives it we don’t like it because it doesn’t make sense to us, and so we try to argue with God about His plans and purposes. I believe that God does the same thing to us that He did to Ananias – bringing certain people into our lives for a purpose. Even though in our heads it is easy to try to argue with God about why it wouldn’t make sense, sometimes we just have to trust that He knows what He is doing.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
It's already done - Devotion for 10/22/08
It’s already done – Devotion for 10/22/08
Like it or not, almost all of us get to go through the experience of having our wisdom teeth removed. Most of us have it done around our late teens or maybe even early twenties, and I think I had mine done back when I was 19. I remember when I had mine done I went in that day prepared for anything. I remember sitting in the chair and having a delightful conversation with the cute dental assistant, I remember them putting the mask over my mouth and nose, and I remember the doctor telling me, “Ok, we’re done.” I was stunned that it had already been done, because I knew I didn’t hurt at that moment (yes – the pain was yet to come), and I just knew it had only been a second before that I was still chatting with the cute dental assistant (did I mention she was cute?). As my Dad helped me walk to the car, I was still filled with utter and complete amazement that my wisdom teeth had already been removed. Truly, it was done before I knew it.
This morning as I read during my devotion time, I read from Matthew 9, and at the first part of this chapter, some people bring to Jesus a paralytic who is lying on a bed. Jesus sees the faith of the ones who brought the man to him, and Jesus says, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”(Matthew 9:2) Suddenly some of the scribes who were nearby and overheard what Jesus said started freaking out, saying to each other that Jesus had blasphemed God because he had forgiven the man’s sins, and that was only something God alone could do. So Jesus turns to these skeptics and says, “Which is easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgive,’ or to say ‘Get up and walk’?” And then to show them who He truly is, he then turns to the paralytic and says, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” And the dude gets up and goes home!
I wonder when the paralyzed man was healed. You’ve got to know that ever since he had become paralyzed, whether it was from birth or later, he had prayed to be made complete. You can only imagine how many times he had doubted God, and you can only imagine the jealousy and even hatred that had built up within his heart. But when Jesus said to him, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven,” do you think only his sins were removed, or his complete condition? I don’t have the answer to that question, but the next time Jesus addresses the dude all he says is essentially “Get up and go home.” I tend to lean towards the possibility that the man was healed the moment Jesus told him his sins were forgiven, and he just didn’t yet know that his prayers had been answered. I think he didn’t yet know that he was healed because his mind was still conditioned to the limitations life had put on him.
I once read about the training of elephants begins when they are infants. As an infant, a rope is put around their neck and they will be tied to a stake in the ground, and the infant elephant will pull, tug, and struggle against the rope trying to break free, however eventually the elephant will accept his condition and quit fighting. From that point on in the life of the elephant, the trainer only has to use the exact same size rope, because in the mind of the elephant, it still has accepted the condition of bondage. I’ve read that in some cases a trainer can even quit tying the rope to a stake because the elephant accepts the condition of bondage the moment the rope is put on his neck. I believe that we have been set from all of our limitations. I believe that Jesus came to remove us from bondage to sin and death, yet I believe we still keep sitting as if we are still in that bondage. Not only are our sins forgiven, but many of the things we’ve been praying for has already been done. The strength to face the battles ahead of us? It’s already done. The patience to endure the difficulties? It’s already done. The ability to reach out and help a friend? It’s already done. Today, look for the ways we still are living tied to the stake of bondage, and know that we’ve already been set free.
Like it or not, almost all of us get to go through the experience of having our wisdom teeth removed. Most of us have it done around our late teens or maybe even early twenties, and I think I had mine done back when I was 19. I remember when I had mine done I went in that day prepared for anything. I remember sitting in the chair and having a delightful conversation with the cute dental assistant, I remember them putting the mask over my mouth and nose, and I remember the doctor telling me, “Ok, we’re done.” I was stunned that it had already been done, because I knew I didn’t hurt at that moment (yes – the pain was yet to come), and I just knew it had only been a second before that I was still chatting with the cute dental assistant (did I mention she was cute?). As my Dad helped me walk to the car, I was still filled with utter and complete amazement that my wisdom teeth had already been removed. Truly, it was done before I knew it.
This morning as I read during my devotion time, I read from Matthew 9, and at the first part of this chapter, some people bring to Jesus a paralytic who is lying on a bed. Jesus sees the faith of the ones who brought the man to him, and Jesus says, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”(Matthew 9:2) Suddenly some of the scribes who were nearby and overheard what Jesus said started freaking out, saying to each other that Jesus had blasphemed God because he had forgiven the man’s sins, and that was only something God alone could do. So Jesus turns to these skeptics and says, “Which is easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgive,’ or to say ‘Get up and walk’?” And then to show them who He truly is, he then turns to the paralytic and says, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” And the dude gets up and goes home!
I wonder when the paralyzed man was healed. You’ve got to know that ever since he had become paralyzed, whether it was from birth or later, he had prayed to be made complete. You can only imagine how many times he had doubted God, and you can only imagine the jealousy and even hatred that had built up within his heart. But when Jesus said to him, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven,” do you think only his sins were removed, or his complete condition? I don’t have the answer to that question, but the next time Jesus addresses the dude all he says is essentially “Get up and go home.” I tend to lean towards the possibility that the man was healed the moment Jesus told him his sins were forgiven, and he just didn’t yet know that his prayers had been answered. I think he didn’t yet know that he was healed because his mind was still conditioned to the limitations life had put on him.
I once read about the training of elephants begins when they are infants. As an infant, a rope is put around their neck and they will be tied to a stake in the ground, and the infant elephant will pull, tug, and struggle against the rope trying to break free, however eventually the elephant will accept his condition and quit fighting. From that point on in the life of the elephant, the trainer only has to use the exact same size rope, because in the mind of the elephant, it still has accepted the condition of bondage. I’ve read that in some cases a trainer can even quit tying the rope to a stake because the elephant accepts the condition of bondage the moment the rope is put on his neck. I believe that we have been set from all of our limitations. I believe that Jesus came to remove us from bondage to sin and death, yet I believe we still keep sitting as if we are still in that bondage. Not only are our sins forgiven, but many of the things we’ve been praying for has already been done. The strength to face the battles ahead of us? It’s already done. The patience to endure the difficulties? It’s already done. The ability to reach out and help a friend? It’s already done. Today, look for the ways we still are living tied to the stake of bondage, and know that we’ve already been set free.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
I can't stay - Devotion for 10/21/08
I can’t stay – Devotion for 10/21/08
My family and I visited the NC State Fair this past Saturday, and we had a great time. The boys got to ride some fun rides, we got to see the animals, we got to eat some wonderful food, and I even got to witness the magic show called “My Disappearing Money” – AKA the ridiculous fair games. As much fun as we had, we knew that eventually we would need to leave. That thought is always with me when I am somewhere and I am experiencing a real “mountain top” type experience. Whether it is a spiritual retreat, a vacation, or even a quick day trip to the State Fair, even in the midst of the joy of the moment is the hint of sorrow that I must leave that mountain top. And I can only imagine what that felt like to “Legion.”
In Mark 5:1-20, we learn about the man who was possessed by many demons, and when Jesus asked him his name, he replied “We are Legion; for we are many.” You know the story – Jesus casts out the demons into a herd of swine who are nearby, and then all 2,000 swine go running and jump off a cliff into the sea and drown. What is really remarkable to me is what takes place after that. Verse 15 tells us that Jesus and “Legion” were sitting down together, and I can only imagine what they were talking about. After people came out to see what had been going on, they became scared Jesus may hurt their own line of work and they implored him to leave. As Jesus is getting into the boat, we are told that “Legion” was begging Jesus that he might be able to go with him. Imagine that – Legion had not had peace for years. For year he had been untamed, breaking the chains every time they tried to control him, harming himself with stones, and constantly screaming night and day. And now Jesus had brought him peace. If I was Legion, I would have wanted to go with Jesus as well just to ensure that I wouldn’t have to suffer like that again. But Jesus did not let him stay with him, saying “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”(Mark 5:19)
I think Jesus says the same thing to us when we have those special moments and experiences. Though we would love to stay in the moment, we know that we can’t stay in that moment. We have a responsibility to go and report what God has done. Enjoy those mountain top moments, but know we can’t stay at the mountain, and we’ve got to go and report “what great things the Lord has done.”
My family and I visited the NC State Fair this past Saturday, and we had a great time. The boys got to ride some fun rides, we got to see the animals, we got to eat some wonderful food, and I even got to witness the magic show called “My Disappearing Money” – AKA the ridiculous fair games. As much fun as we had, we knew that eventually we would need to leave. That thought is always with me when I am somewhere and I am experiencing a real “mountain top” type experience. Whether it is a spiritual retreat, a vacation, or even a quick day trip to the State Fair, even in the midst of the joy of the moment is the hint of sorrow that I must leave that mountain top. And I can only imagine what that felt like to “Legion.”
In Mark 5:1-20, we learn about the man who was possessed by many demons, and when Jesus asked him his name, he replied “We are Legion; for we are many.” You know the story – Jesus casts out the demons into a herd of swine who are nearby, and then all 2,000 swine go running and jump off a cliff into the sea and drown. What is really remarkable to me is what takes place after that. Verse 15 tells us that Jesus and “Legion” were sitting down together, and I can only imagine what they were talking about. After people came out to see what had been going on, they became scared Jesus may hurt their own line of work and they implored him to leave. As Jesus is getting into the boat, we are told that “Legion” was begging Jesus that he might be able to go with him. Imagine that – Legion had not had peace for years. For year he had been untamed, breaking the chains every time they tried to control him, harming himself with stones, and constantly screaming night and day. And now Jesus had brought him peace. If I was Legion, I would have wanted to go with Jesus as well just to ensure that I wouldn’t have to suffer like that again. But Jesus did not let him stay with him, saying “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”(Mark 5:19)
I think Jesus says the same thing to us when we have those special moments and experiences. Though we would love to stay in the moment, we know that we can’t stay in that moment. We have a responsibility to go and report what God has done. Enjoy those mountain top moments, but know we can’t stay at the mountain, and we’ve got to go and report “what great things the Lord has done.”
Monday, October 20, 2008
Stumbling and Bumbling - Devotion for 10/20/08
Stumbling bumbling – Devotion for 10/20/08
Our family has two dogs, Riley and Oscar. Riley is a HUGE Golden Retriever, and Oscar is a little yellow lab mix. These two dogs are indoor pets, and they seem to enjoy the life of luxury, and each night they sleep in the room with us. Oscar has his favorite place (which is under the bed), while Riley sprawls out wherever he desires. This is all well and good until I have to get up in the middle of the night. You see in the middle of the night our room is quite dark. And Riley is quite large. More than once I have found myself desperately reaching out for the bed post as I am falling from having tripped upon that huge dog on the floor. And more than once I have found myself sprawled out on the floor. It’s moments like that that I wish I had the capability of having night vision.
There are a lot of moments like that in my life that sometimes we feel like we are walking in the darkness. Uncertainty clouds our perspective of things, and our vision becomes greatly inhibited. As we make our way through the darkness, we know that there are going to be obstacles in our way, and we just try to shuffle-step our way through. So many times as I am stumbling and bumbling through the darkness of life, I would just wish so bad I could see what was next.
This morning I read Psalm 139 to begin my day. This happens to be one of my favorite Psalms, but I got to thinking about it from the perspective of the author, David. David is one who knew what it was like to be stumbling and bumbling through the darkness before him. As many wonderful and great accomplishments as David had, he also truly expressed a great deal of darkness and despair. I believe he took great comfort and solace that there was One who searched him and knew him. Having fled so many times from his enemies, I think David found sanctuary that there was One who he could not flee from. In verse 12, David states, “Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.” I have to believe that David found great strength that in the midst of his stumbling and bumbling in the darkness, there was One who knew the path. As we find ourselves stumbling and bumbling in the darkness of life, find strength in the fact that there is One who came to pierce the darkness, who helps us to see those difficulties ahead of us, and ways around (or over).
Our family has two dogs, Riley and Oscar. Riley is a HUGE Golden Retriever, and Oscar is a little yellow lab mix. These two dogs are indoor pets, and they seem to enjoy the life of luxury, and each night they sleep in the room with us. Oscar has his favorite place (which is under the bed), while Riley sprawls out wherever he desires. This is all well and good until I have to get up in the middle of the night. You see in the middle of the night our room is quite dark. And Riley is quite large. More than once I have found myself desperately reaching out for the bed post as I am falling from having tripped upon that huge dog on the floor. And more than once I have found myself sprawled out on the floor. It’s moments like that that I wish I had the capability of having night vision.
There are a lot of moments like that in my life that sometimes we feel like we are walking in the darkness. Uncertainty clouds our perspective of things, and our vision becomes greatly inhibited. As we make our way through the darkness, we know that there are going to be obstacles in our way, and we just try to shuffle-step our way through. So many times as I am stumbling and bumbling through the darkness of life, I would just wish so bad I could see what was next.
This morning I read Psalm 139 to begin my day. This happens to be one of my favorite Psalms, but I got to thinking about it from the perspective of the author, David. David is one who knew what it was like to be stumbling and bumbling through the darkness before him. As many wonderful and great accomplishments as David had, he also truly expressed a great deal of darkness and despair. I believe he took great comfort and solace that there was One who searched him and knew him. Having fled so many times from his enemies, I think David found sanctuary that there was One who he could not flee from. In verse 12, David states, “Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.” I have to believe that David found great strength that in the midst of his stumbling and bumbling in the darkness, there was One who knew the path. As we find ourselves stumbling and bumbling in the darkness of life, find strength in the fact that there is One who came to pierce the darkness, who helps us to see those difficulties ahead of us, and ways around (or over).
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