God’s Light

Light for Our Path

/ pastorpete51 / 14 Comments 
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105 KJV

For those of you who do not know, our daughter-in-law Melinda has been battling with ovarian cancer over the last two and a half years. Melinda recently finished her third round of chemotherapy, but after experiencing severe back pain she was admitted to the hospital over a week ago. After many tests, the doctors discovered that, the chemo had weakened the bone structure of her back leading to a fracture. Then this Tuesday, they did surgery to stabilize it, and also took a biopsy while they were in there. Yesterday the report came back positive for cancer, and we would appreciate everyone’s prayers for Melinda. Sometimes during these last two weeks it has felt like we were, wandering in a dark cave, with no assurance of finding a way out. But during my quiet time this morning, I came across today’s verse, and it occurred to me, that the writer of this Psalm may have also been facing a dark situation and like us, was looking for a light for his path. Imagine the joy they discovered when they found that what they needed was right in front of them, in the Word of God. During the dark and lonely times in our lives it is easy to be attracted to things like sporting events, parties, or social media in an effort to distract ourselves. But the Word of God is the true light and always available. Any other light is at best only temporary, like a flashlight whose battery is nearly spent, it soon flickers and goes out. None of us knows how long the darkness we are facing will last, but we can depend on one thing. The word of God is a light for our path, and no matter how long our night, it will shine on and on!

God knows that we can’t generate that light within ourselves, instead He wants us to run to His word, where we can find there an inexhaustible, immeasurable power source. In the darkest places of our lives, His word will shine, and not only for our own path, but also for the pathways of those around us whose flashlights are already going dead.

Photo by Simon Migaj on Pexels.com

Prayer: Father, help me not to look to the temporary lights of this world, but to completely rely on Your Word, because it is a light that no darkness will ever be able to put out!

A Little Sunshine at Watermark

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NIV

Watermark Assisted Living is a beautiful five-star place, and of all the facilities I have visited in three different states, it is by far the nicest. But in spite of the fancy sitting room, the delightful ice cream parlor and snack bar, it is still a lonely neighborhood. Some families do visit their loved ones, but the many rarely have a guest. Sometimes, I puzzle over the abandonment of our older family members, neighbors and friends we worshipped with at church. Maybe it all comes down to the feeling, that a long term care facility is a dark place. The loneliness is suffocating, even for visitors. No children play outside, no mail carrier, whistles through the hallways dropping letters and packages. There is no corner barbershop nearby or a place to grab a slice of pizza and sit for a quick lunch with a friend. Everything here seems stiff, artificial and professionally friendly, and yet, God has not forgotten. God has not abandoned. God is walking through their neighborhood and He asks us to walk with Him. In today’s verse, Jesus commands (not suggests) that we let our light shine before others. Now, we know that the source of that light is Him, yet we who are followers of Jesus, have both the honor and the duty of carrying His light to places that are dark. We don’t need to feel sufficient, strong or radiantly cheerful to let His light shine. We only need to trust Him and do what He asks. The amazing and unexpected miracle is that when we do this, not only will we shine a light for others to see, but it will light our own pathway as well! I hope you enjoy this hymn, which was a favorite of our youngest, when he was coming with me to nursing homes, forty years ago. Every time I sing it, I hear his little voice and see his big smile as he would clap his hands and sing about how Jesus with the sunlight of His love makes all our darkness flee!

Don’t Forget the Flashlight!

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 ESV

Having lived on the central Gulf Coast of Florida for several years, we used to laugh that we had never seen the iconic Sunshine Skyway bridge, even though it is only twenty miles South us. So, on my birthday last year, we planned to drive over the bridge, stop at a nearby park for a picnic, and take oodles of photos. But a storm by the name of Ian set its sights on our area the day before our big plans. The Skyway bridge was closed, and we evacuated to an inland location. That night after we settled in, we heated up a frozen pizza and prayed for safety and God’s blessing on my birthday dinner. Then about halfway through the prayer, the lights flickered out and we found ourselves in total darkness. I learned that night, that the suitcases of supplies we had brought along to weather the storm, were nothing compared to our flashlight!

Jesus said, that if we follow Him, we will never be left in the dark, and that little flashlight that saved our dinner that evening gave me a great appreciation for what He meant! But Jesus never promised that we would have a blindingly brilliant light. He simply said that if we choose to follow, then He will always give us enough light to be able to walk with Him. Sometimes there are spiritual storms that come our way even more unexpectedly than Hurricane Ian. But if we keep our eyes on Jesus – The Light of the World – we will never be left in darkness. So as the tropics heat up this Summer and storms start to head our way, be sure you remember the flashlight!