The Holy One calls to me this morning. Circumstances can and often do dictate the subject of the conferences we have in the early hours just before dawn. Personally I like to start the day early. With my Counselor and friend in charge, the world just seems to be at greater peace when most of humanity is asleep.
Today the temporal circumstances press in and provide a sensory backdrop to our conversation. The weather has called for freezing temperatures and freezing temperatures can snap the power lines. This morning's freeze is a seasonally premature test that our power lines have failed. The power is out, the lights are off, and darkness rules.
Fortunately I have a storm light. This is a small flashlight that when power goes off in the house, it turns on. The beam it sends out is a comfort and helps me find the things I need to weather the cold darkness.
Rarely, in Calif where I lived the majority of my life, do residents lose power. Here in the south it happens often and for me it activates a tempting fear. There is no darkness like a deep forest darkness, where absent a full moon, there is no visibility past the hand. On days like today when that darkness covers the land I am so thankful that my Lord promised He would never leave me nor forsake me and I rely on His Spirit to talk me through the fear and aloneness of this moment.
The physical darkness is a reminder of an unimaginable threat: Permanent separation from the Light of life. While I can self-talk and calm my heart that this darkness is only temporary and the sun will soon rise or the power will be restored, the stark reality is that someday people like me will perish without the One who created light and will be doomed to a forever darkness without Him.
I say people like me because we were all created for fellowship and community. We were all created to be in a love relationship with our Creator God. We are all hard wired in such a way that requires His presence in our lives in order for us to be OK .
Many fail to understand this and find substitutes in life. We find in the masses of humanity a place of temporal comfort: a human relationship or a series of them, a chemical that eases the pain of longing for something just out of our reach, or a set of goals that fill our minds and serve as distractions to the fears of little or no self worth.
The darkness of this morning symbolizes blindness and the Holy One seizes this situation to speak of the Father's love. "God is not content than any should perish but that everyone come to repentance".
2 Peter 3:9 Then He moves on to talk about the storm light; "You can be like that storm light you are holding, in someone else's life and be a comfort in their darkness until the power is turned on".
His words are an encouragement to my heart and help me define the usefulness of our individual lights in the darkness that covers the land. Jesus is the Light of the world yet people do not know Him as the Light of life. John 8:12, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." Until a person finds Jesus and gets plugged in, they live in darkness.
The power is back on and the timing of its restoration is not lost on me. The lessons taught by the Holy One can be very dramatic at times. The interesting thing I noticed about the storm light as I put it back in it's place, is that when the power is on it is not noticeable. But the storm light is bright and very visible in the darkened room when there is otherwise no power.
This morning the Holy Spirit has shown me the importance and value of one small light in a very dark place. We, the Lord's people, can be like a storm light in the darkness for those who are otherwise blind. We emit His light and as people are drawn to ours, we can speak of His.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
Today the temporal circumstances press in and provide a sensory backdrop to our conversation. The weather has called for freezing temperatures and freezing temperatures can snap the power lines. This morning's freeze is a seasonally premature test that our power lines have failed. The power is out, the lights are off, and darkness rules.
Fortunately I have a storm light. This is a small flashlight that when power goes off in the house, it turns on. The beam it sends out is a comfort and helps me find the things I need to weather the cold darkness.
Rarely, in Calif where I lived the majority of my life, do residents lose power. Here in the south it happens often and for me it activates a tempting fear. There is no darkness like a deep forest darkness, where absent a full moon, there is no visibility past the hand. On days like today when that darkness covers the land I am so thankful that my Lord promised He would never leave me nor forsake me and I rely on His Spirit to talk me through the fear and aloneness of this moment.
The physical darkness is a reminder of an unimaginable threat: Permanent separation from the Light of life. While I can self-talk and calm my heart that this darkness is only temporary and the sun will soon rise or the power will be restored, the stark reality is that someday people like me will perish without the One who created light and will be doomed to a forever darkness without Him.
I say people like me because we were all created for fellowship and community. We were all created to be in a love relationship with our Creator God. We are all hard wired in such a way that requires His presence in our lives in order for us to be OK .
Many fail to understand this and find substitutes in life. We find in the masses of humanity a place of temporal comfort: a human relationship or a series of them, a chemical that eases the pain of longing for something just out of our reach, or a set of goals that fill our minds and serve as distractions to the fears of little or no self worth.
The darkness of this morning symbolizes blindness and the Holy One seizes this situation to speak of the Father's love. "God is not content than any should perish but that everyone come to repentance".
2 Peter 3:9 Then He moves on to talk about the storm light; "You can be like that storm light you are holding, in someone else's life and be a comfort in their darkness until the power is turned on".
His words are an encouragement to my heart and help me define the usefulness of our individual lights in the darkness that covers the land. Jesus is the Light of the world yet people do not know Him as the Light of life. John 8:12, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." Until a person finds Jesus and gets plugged in, they live in darkness.
The power is back on and the timing of its restoration is not lost on me. The lessons taught by the Holy One can be very dramatic at times. The interesting thing I noticed about the storm light as I put it back in it's place, is that when the power is on it is not noticeable. But the storm light is bright and very visible in the darkened room when there is otherwise no power.
This morning the Holy Spirit has shown me the importance and value of one small light in a very dark place. We, the Lord's people, can be like a storm light in the darkness for those who are otherwise blind. We emit His light and as people are drawn to ours, we can speak of His.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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