11/17/2020
Even in the midst of our greatest laments the Lord is with us in the fullness of His love. We might feel inclined to believe that we have been abandoned, but His love never ceases, never comes to an end, and refreshes us each day as His radiance shines bright upon us. There are times when His cloak is made to cast a shadow over us so that our spirit might shine on it’s own from the darkness, and what was once unnoticed in the brilliance of His presence is allowed to strengthen and shine forth from the night.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;”
Lamentations 3:22 ESV
We are exhausted at the end of our days, and quiet often we find ourselves unable to think rightly. Where earlier in the morning our faith was bold it has now grown weary, and the strength of the Lord seems to have faded from us, but His brilliance has not diminished, nor has His Love dimmed.
“they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.””
Lamentations 3:23-24 ESV
A class once met for Bible study in the innermost reaches of a church. There were no windows in this large meeting room, and when the lights were off you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The darkness seemed to be complete. So it was that one night, while meeting, that the electricity went off in a storm, and the room became black as pitch. The students began to talk fearfully among themselves as their fear crept in. Then someone became anxious, and at the far end of the room a tiny penlight came on. Despite the enormity of the meeting hall that dim light could be seen from every corner of the hall. It could be seen as if it were a brilliant lighthouse on a distant shore. This is similar to the way that God reveals our faith in Christ to us... He removes His own light for a moment so that we can glimpse the magnificence of the gift He has given us, and in that moment of breathless epiphany, what once was small and dim swells in us to become brilliant. Our tiny seed of faith in Christ becomes what it was always intended to be... the light of life.
“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
So in our times of total and perfect darkness, we should light our tiny lamp of faith, and watch it swell into an enormous, and brilliant hope. God might appear to have removed himself from where we are, but He is always there with His hand shielding us from His brilliance so that we can see the gift of faith in Jesus Christ that He has given us.
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:4-5 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the light of your Son Jesus Christ whose brilliance overcomes the darkness, but thank you most for those times when you place us in a dark room where we can see our faith in Him clearly, and increase it through your grace, and gift of hope. Help us Father to remove the basket from atop our faith, and then teach us to let the light of Christ shine forth from within us. Fill our wick with the oil of Christ, and let our flame shine in the darkness for all who are lost to see. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God whose face is too brilliant for us to glimpse, yet who provides us a means of seeing you through your Son. Praised be your name for each lesson you teach us from behind the covering of your hand, and hear our worship from beneath your cloak as it casts its shadow over us. By your grace we find that you renew our faith every morning, and that you bring us hope with the coming light. Cleanse us Father with the blood of Jesus, and through His gift of redemption, and life, we pray that you find us worthy to spend eternity giving light to all your house, and as children at your table.
““You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16 ESV
Rich Forbes