Finding our way through the wilderness

2 Samuel 22:29

New International Version (NIV)

²⁹ You, LORD, are my lamp;
   the LORD turns my darkness into light.

Day Seventeen

Guiding Light

   As I sat and reflected on Saturday I started to think about this world that we live in. I thought about how just how dark this world is. Not a physical darkness but a spiritual darkness. We live in a place where values, morals, respect, and decency are hard things to come by. As I thought about these things I wonder how the darkness could be more appealing than the light.  How can the enemy make things that we know are wrong and things that we know will only bring destruction and heartache looked so alluring to our eyes?

   I came to realize that we all have a seed of righteous and a seed of destruction dwelling inside of us. While both seeds will reside in us throughout our lives, the seed that we choose continuously water will be the one in which we based our foundation upon. We cannot water the seed of righteous while we are living in the dark and expect it to grow. The seed of righteous can only prosper in the Light. So if we choose to dwell in the darkness then we will be watering the seed of destruction, because unlike the seed of righteous the seed of destruction flourishes in the dark.   

   Most of us want to leave the dark but as I said before it is all too easy to stay in the darkness. In the darkness there are no immediate cares or worries. We can live in the darkness as we please, doing what we like. Opposite to that is the Light where we are governed by a set of rules called The Ten Commandments. We have to have morals and values with are hard to keep because they are contrary to our sinful natures. The enemy plays on these very things telling us that we need to stay in the darkness because we will only be a disappointment when we try to go to the Light.

   So the question we have to ask is how does one go to the Light and stay there, while we are surrounded by darkness.

   Our scripture from 2 Samuel 22:29 tells us that The Lord is our Lamp. And He will turn our darkness into light. We have to realize that on our own it is impossible to stay out of the darkness but when we allow the Lord to enter our lives, He illuminates our lives so we can shine through the darkness. Genesis 1:4 says that God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. When we give ourselves to Him He will do what we cannot, which is separated us from the darkness.

   We must also know that no matter how dark our lives may seem the Lord can shine His light through it. Psalms 139:12 says that even darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like day; for darkness is as light to you. So there is no darkness that the Lord cannot overcome because He is the Light. We all know that where there is light there can be no darkness.

   God will be our guiding light throughout the darkness because He said so in his word. Isaiah 42:16 says I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along the unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough place smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. So all we have to do is have faith in the Lord and believe that He will guide us to the light. His word says that he will not forsake us.

   Lastly, we can stay in the light by staying in His Word. Psalms 119:130 says that the unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. By staying in his word we stay closer to Him thus we stay closer to the light. This defeats the enemy because even if we do slip momentarily back into the darkness, if we are in the word we will know that God is right there waiting to shine His light and defeat the darkness. For Micah 7:8 says Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in the darkness, the Lord will be my light.

   God is waiting to shine His light on our seed of righteous. So as we water it daily, by studying and reading His word, His light will help it grow and flourish even in a dark land.

   Please join us tomorrow as we continue our journey. Until then God Bless.