This week we had a power cut…. the lights went dark, the entertainment devices went dead, and the cooker stopped (mid-jacket potato cooking, I might add!). The freezer slowly started it’s descent into defrost, as we put our coats on, to sit in the cold!
All be it, it only lasted an evening and the kids had a whale of a time lighting and relighting… and RELIGHTING the candles we had found in the loft… I can’t tell you how glad I was when the power came back on late that night.
I suppose our greatest frustration was just simply the lack of light (my kids are used to disastrous teas anyway), simply living life in the dark ain’t no fun, every activity and every necessity became so much harder, so much slower … I’m telling you preparing cheese sandwiches… no… in fact even trying to find the cheese in the fridge via the tiny flicker of a match light was annoyingly hard!
We are so used to living life in the light that perhaps we have forgotten what it is like to struggle in the dark. I think about when I need to make life choices and decisions, or when I need advice and comfort. I don’t have to be in the dark trying to figure it out, because ‘thank God’, I have a ‘way-maker’. He’s called Jesus, he’s in command and he cuts straight through the darkness to the heart of the matter. And the wonderful thing is, the light that his spirit shines into that dark moment illuminates not only for that moment but allows us to make the choices that effect all eternity.
It’s worth remembering …that sometimes through our (subconscious and conscious) choices we can also reduce Gods light bringing his floodlights down to spotlights and finally down to the tiniest, single flicker of a flame. As a result (as I discovered that night) working through life with the smallest of light is frustratingly hard. Ask yourself today, do you in this moment need to act? Do you need to turn the lights up? Where is it? In our thoughts, attitudes or actions that we need God to come in and flood us with his radiant beautiful light…
Simply…do you want to see again? Church do you want to see more of him? Then allow him to be all that he is, an exposing light, to search our hearts, our desires, our will. Do we need to allow God back in to our choices and shine is big all-encompassing flood lights on … are you willing to lay it all bare before your God?
Do you want God to define and create a path for you, so you can to travel into the future he has designed for you? Then allow his light to guide you, you don’t have to stumble on in the dark.
I'm so thankful that God is in my life, that I choose to allow him to turn the lights on, (teach me search me know my heart) which is sometimes painful I must note! but always the better choice. No, I don’t always get it right, none of us do but we are walking towards the light and that’s the difference.
So firstly, let's deal with ourselves and meditate on this verse Psalms 139v23 (Contemporary English Version) ‘look deep into my heart, God, and find out everything I am thinking.’
And then secondly let’s lift our eyes up and outward to the world that so needs more of this light … and simply start with obeying the task he gave us of reaching the world for him.
The challenge I want to leave you with is this … during the next few months we will all undoubtably face economic, social and spiritual challenges, we are blessed, we are connected to the source of all light to help and guide us… however we all know so many friends who are not connected to the God in a way that is relevant and tangible, in this coming moment let’s bring them towards his light.
Have a great week!
Rev. Dawn Garge