I will pray for light!

At the first women’s conference I attended, probably around 20 years ago, one of the speakers told a story about her close friend who had some kind of brain disease. The speaker said she prayed for a word from the Lord to comfort her friend. The Lord gave her “a word,” but it made no sense. Again and again, she went back to God, but He gave her no more. The day came for her to visit her friend in the hospital who was desperately waiting for something promising from God. The speaker hesitantly said to her friend, “I prayed, but all I heard was, ‘Let there be light.’” The friend lay in her hospital bed, weeping, feeling the Lord had deserted her. The two women wept together, until a doctor came to take her for more testing. As they were preparing for the test, the woman asked the doctor what they were looking for with this test. He said, “Light. We’re hoping for light.”

I spent the day in “heavy” meetings, where the darkness in the world was talked about at length, and how we can come alongside those in darkness and remind them there is hope. One of the speakers shared a slide of two brain scans. The scan of a person with depression showed the brain covered by darkness, with very little light. However, the scan of a “normal” person showed the brain covered by light.

In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” In Ephesians 5:8, Paul reminds us, “at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” He didn’t say that we were in darkness. He said we were darkness, living in opposition to Christ, the Light of the world. And just as we were once darkness, our works, thoughts, actions, and lives were darkness. But now – Praise be to God – we are children of the Light, children of the day, and the fruit of the Light, of Holy Spirit, is evidenced in our lives.

Walking in darkness, depression, fear, anxiety, carrying a heavy burden, being weighed down by shame… none of that has to be your future, or your children’s future, or your friends’ futures, or anyone’s future. The Light of the world has come! And He says, “Come, follow Me. Walk no longer in darkness, but in the light of life.”

I will pray for light!

I pray that everyone who feels the weight of darkness, who feels like light is a fleeting memory, with darkness overtaking their lives, will experience the Light of the World! I pray they will walk in the Light and in the Truth! I will pray for light till there are no more hurting children, till marriages are restored, till mountains move, and until the light is prevalent everywhere and darkness has no more place!

I will pray for light!