{"id":9577,"date":"2024-01-16T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/?p=9577"},"modified":"2023-12-25T08:09:18","modified_gmt":"2023-12-25T13:09:18","slug":"9577","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2024\/01\/16\/9577\/","title":{"rendered":"No Darkness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Five-minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the darkness will not be dark to you;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Psalm 139:12a<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living in the city, we never experience the darkness of a night in the country.  Streetlights pierce the blackness, illuminating the pavement.  When you view a metropolitan area from a distance, the glow of the lights creates a sphere around it. Viewing the Earth from the air shows pinpoints of light scattered around the surface.  Only in the country do I experience the beauty of the night sky unhindered by artificial light, dotted with stars made by the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitting on my back deck, I can\u2019t see the stars as clearly as I can when I go home to Pennsylvania.  On cloudy nights, the darkness seems heavier, but even then, shafts of moonlight make their presence known.  To experience complete darkness, one must shut out the light somehow.  But in the natural creation of the Lord, His light always shines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding the concept of the Lord\u2019s constant presence has its challenges.  Our thoughts and feelings can make us feel isolated and alone.  Suffering from depression, I\u2019ve battled the lies of my mind and emotions.  Learning ways to capture my thoughts and process my feelings helps me win the fight.  Discovering, applying, and trusting God\u2019s promises gives me ammunition when my mind starts going places that lead to despair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd God said, \u201cLet there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,<\/em> and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.\u201d And it was so.<\/em>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Genesis 1:14-15<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creation came with lights.  From the start, the Lord illuminated the darkness, giving us the sun and moon to rule our days and nights.  In the depths of death, surrounded by the walls of a coffin, He gave us Jesus, an eternal light to overcome the deepest darkness.  God never intended for us to walk in darkness, lighting our path long before we took our first breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And God said, \u201cLet there be light,\u201d and there was light.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genesis 1:2<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like walking into a room and flipping on the light switch, the Lord turned on the lights first after creating the heavens and earth.  Life doesn\u2019t exist in darkness.  God never intended for us to wallow in a formless void of blackness; he illuminated the world before He did anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On your darkest days, God provides light to diminish them.  The Lord\u2019s Spirit will never leave you.  Followers of Christ become God in the flesh, surrounding us during life\u2019s bitter struggles and helping us to persevere through the storm.  When pain and darkness come upon us, God\u2019s light shines, bringing hope and comfort to weary souls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lights on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God turned the lights on first before He did anything else.  In His sovereignty, the Lord illuminated the dark spaces.  When life knocks me to the ground unexpectedly, God has already placed lights for me to follow.  On the day my nephew died, the Lord used Ron to hold me up.  When I lost my job, friends surrounded me, helping me move forward through the pain.  And when my thoughts take me on rabbit trails of despair, scripture from the Lord helps me derail the dark recesses of my mind.  Centering our mind on Christ flips the lights on in our life, guiding and directing us, never leaving us in darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flip the switch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journaling Questions:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. What lights illuminate the dark areas of your life?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. How does God provide light for you in your life?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. What light shines brightest for you?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Prayer:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Lord, thank You for illuminating the world first, bringing light into the darkness.  Forgive us for succumbing to darkness.  As we move through our days, help us follow Your light, knowing You will never leave us devoid.  Guide and direct so we can fulfill Your purpose for our lives.  Let our light shine brightly, illuminating the world and bringing it hope.  IJNIP. Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Five-minute read. Even the darkness will not be dark to you; Psalm 139:12a No darkness. Living in the city, we never experience the darkness of a night in the country.  Streetlights pierce the blackness, illuminating the pavement.  When you view a metropolitan area from a distance, the glow of the lights creates a sphere around it.… Continue reading No Darkness<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9577"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9581,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9577\/revisions\/9581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}