You are my lamp, O Lord; the
Lord turns my darkness into light.
2 Samuel 22:29
A pastor had ten couples enrolled in a
new-members class that
met on Sunday evenings in one of the couple's
home. Even after
all the couples had completed the course
work and joined the
church, they continued to meet on
Sunday evenings. They
enjoyed each other's company and developed
a deep sense
of commitment to one another.
One night, the pastor received a call from on of
the wives in the
group. Her husband's plane had gone down,
and she didn't know
if he was dead or alive. The pastor
immediately called the
other group members, who gathered around her.
They sat and
prayed with her until word came that her
husband was dead.
Then various women took turns baby-sitting the
children and
staying with her during those first difficult
nights.
Group members opened their homes to out-of-town
family who
came for the funeral. The men kept her car
running and did
yard work. And when she decided she
would have to sell her
house and find a smaller place to live,
they helped her locate
an apartment, helped her pack,
unpack, and settle into her
new home.
For many people, this experience would seem like
a night
without an end, a shadow on
their lives that would never
be erased. But because her friends
let their lights shine
into her darkness, they reminded her of the God
who
understood her pain and promised to see her
through it.
You are like light for the whole world, Jesus
said. A city built on
top of a hill cannot be hidden, and no one
would light a lamp and
put it under a clay pot. A lamp is
placed on a lamp stand,
where it can give light to everyone in the house.
(See
).
In a world that seems to grow darker day by day,
let the Lord
turn your darkness into light. Then
you can brighten the lives of
those around you by being one of
"God's Night Lights".
Janette Stewart
7-17-2000
Used With Permission
All
Rights Reserved 1999,2000 Our God Reigns Ministries
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