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He Illumines My Darkness
Andrea Lende • October 30, 2020
Psalm 18:28
He Illumines My Darkness
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/He-Illumines-My-Darkness-elqfqk
Psalm 18:28
“For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine; the Lord my God illumines my darkness.”
Psalm eighteen contains fifty verses but this verse spoke volumes to me today.
“The Lord my God illumines my darkness.”
We all live in moments of darkness.
Some moments last longer than others.
There are some dark years and even dark decades.
But as David so eloquently writes, “The Lord my God illumines my darkness”.
As I read this verse, I was reminded that God is the Light that shines even in the darkest of times.
I look forward to setting my eyes on the Light that illumines all darkness one day.
Our Bible tells us that the Light of the Lord will illuminate everything.
There will be no sun that sets so there will be no night as we know it.
This same Light illumines our hearts and minds as no other Light is able.
King David writes, “For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine”.
The Lord lights the way for us.
David had been entrapped by Saul and had enemies on every side.
As soon as the Lord had delivered him, he wrote this Psalm.
He had just experienced the fear of all fears.
And His God, our God, delivered Him.
I’m not sure that David knew what the outcome of his situation would be except that the Lord had always delivered him in the past.
However, this situation may have turned out differently.
God’s anointed, King Saul, could have remained God’s anointed.
But as we know that wasn’t what the Lord had planned.
God had planned for David to be king.
Once delivered, he wrote the Lord illumined his darkness.
As these difficult days drone on, we can be assured the same.
The Lord will cause our lamp to be lighted and He will illuminate our darkness.
We need only look to Him.
Keep our eyes on the Lord.
Allow Him to be our Light in the darkness.
Today I choose to look to the Lord to light the path I travel and illuminate the darkness around me.
May you find the Lord will light your way and illuminate the darkness around you.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me You are the true light. Thank You for showing me You illuminate the darkness and will light the path You ask me to take. Thank You, Lord, for showing me the way to go. Thank You for Your patience as I traverse this life. It seems the pace is fast for me, but You must look down and see how long it takes me to be obedient and do as You ask. Forgive my lack of belief and quick obedience. Forgive my mistakes. Help me do all that You ask me to do without questioning Your commands. Help me listen the first time, Father. Make me compliant to Your voice and listen to Your every word. Help me hear You above the noise of this world. As the darkness tries to smother me, may Your Light shine so bright that it pushes the darkness aside. Help me follow You, Lord. Increase my faith so I follow You without question. Strengthen me in every way and prepare me for Your use. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Light, My child, and I will illuminate your way.
Response: Thank You, Almighty God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.