November 20 – Nothing Will Be Left Undone

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone.” –  Isaiah 42:16 (NASB)

The blind are promised a guide; He is God. Those who do not know the way He promises to guide them. These are the spiritually blind and they have no means or power or even will to seek and find this way to God. Only God can give them the sight to believe by faith and follow the right path. Our God is anxious to help us as we live our lives here on earth. Notice that He promises to lead us along unfamiliar paths. Is it dark in our life? God will provide the light we need because in Him there is no darkness. Are the circumstances of our lives make for rough going? God will smooth them out had help us through it.  Look at the last two lines, “These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” Our God shows us where to step and which way to turn. He is our guide through difficult times, lonely times, sorrowful times, and frightening times. During times of loss or when evil threatens us God is with us, He promises to not forsake us. He is the light on our dark and unfamiliar paths.

198

June 16 – Guiding the Blind

“And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” – Isaiah 42:16 (ESV)

There are times when things get so dark we lose our way and we are tempted to think that God is not aware of what we are going through. There are times when we do not see the path that He has set before us to walk in and we’re essentially blinded by our lack of understanding. There are times when our way in life seems to be too rough for us to sustain our walk. God gives us promises for times like that. He promises not to forsake His own. That means He will always be there. And what will He do He will guide us, turning darkness into light. He will help us make decisions we have never made before. And what about those times of difficulty because the path for our life is so rough? He will smooth them out. God’s sovereignty will be evident to all of us as He guides the blind over previously uncharted courses. Even the spiritually blind can be made to see the way because of what God does for them in opening their eyes to see.

185

February 19 – When Darkness Is Not

“If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.”  – Psalm 139:11-12 (NASB)

I’m sure we all have heard someone say, “I was in a very dark place then.” We know they might mean that their spirit was not at peace with their world or have lost their way. We might use that metaphor to express our frame of mind sometimes. Circumstances may be so difficult we struggle with coping and it’s difficult to choose a better way. Our mood is overwhelming. King David understood such predicaments. We’re promised here that even when our world is dark and we can’t see light, God can see it for us. When our light is dark as the night of a new moon that darkness is not dark to our God. When those ti me come over us like a monster wave coming suddenly and unexpectedly we can choose to trust God’s promise that it is not dark for Him. The darkest place we might be is bright as the day in God. Actually there is no difference between darkness and light in God for in him there is no darkness existing. He can see and watch over us during our darkest times and He promises to guide us with the light of His Word.

199

January 5 – He Who Takes Care

“They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and of pits, Through a land of drought and of deep darkness, Through a land that no one crossed And where no man dwelt?’” – Jeremiah 2:6 (NASB)

Might we question where is the promise from God in this verse? It’s there but we need the context. Jeremiah, was a prophet for God to the people of Israel in Jerusalem for 41 years, had the task of delivering judgment messages and warnings to God’s people who have forgotten Him. God accounts for how faithful He has been in taking care of his chosen people as he lead them out of Egypt to their promised land. Eight centuries later God’s provision and protection has been long ago forgotten. God asks for cause. Has God been less than absolutely just with them? No, it was their ingratitude as they departed from their first love. God reminds them of His faithfulness and His justice. It was a desolate place that God led them through and in that place confirmed His covenant and gave them His Law. The people had so forgotten God that they didn’t even ask after Him. They no longer had even a thought about who led them out of Egypt, through wilderness and deserts, through droughts and darkness. God leads us because we too are chosen by Him. Today let’s remember His promises and worship Him with thanksgiving.

196

December 18 – Expelling the Darkness

“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” –  John 8:12 (NASB)

The story we remember and celebrate at this time of the year is the birth of Jesus on Earth when he emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men. He did so in order to offer redemption and salvation to all who believed in Him. Today’s promise comes from another of Jesus’ “I AM” statements recorded by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel of the Apostle John. Those who do like darkness do so to hide their actions. True darkness is the absence of light. Remove the light and what remains is darkness. We all understand this. If we want to expel the darkness from a room, we turn on the light switch that we have faith will cause energy to flow to a light source. In the same way Jesus says to us to follow Him because He is eternal light. In Him there is no darkness and from Him we have the Light of life, eternal life. Following is an act of faith and the Light is an act of Grace and the ability to do so, it a gift promised from God.

192

November 27 – Our Light Within

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV) 

Our Father in heaven has done so very much for us. He is the God of light in many ways and our verse reminds us that He brings that light into our hearts. The Apostle Paul makes a direct reference to God as Creator, who commanded physical light into existence (Genesis 1:3). The God who created physical light in the universe creates supernatural light in the soul and bring believers from the kingdom of darkness to His kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13). The light is expressed as “the knowledge of the glory of God.” That means to know that Christ is God incarnate. To be saved, one must understand that the glory of God shone in Jesus Christ and He drives darkness from our lives. Isn’t it wonderful to know that we don’t have to live in that darkness or with it in our hearts? God has made his light shine in our hearts and it is a glorious light for us who have believed. Be encouraged today as you recognize that God is a God of glory and He wants us to know of His glory. It is a promise that will bring light to our hearts and to our lives.

199

 November 20 – Leading and Guiding

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone.” – Isaiah 42:16 (NASB)

Remember observing how a blind person manages their way around their world? It’s amazing what one can do when it has to be done. In a very real sense we are all blinded by different things at times in our lives. We who believe in Jesus also need help understanding finding the right path in our lives. When we encounter strange paths God promises to help us. In the dark places He promises to guide us and He turns on the light we need. We all face situations which are new and different or are problematic and we especially need wisdom to navigate our decision process. Now and then we just can’t see a way out and we need God to guide us, He opens our eyes and chases the darkness away. Our Father God promises to smooth out rough places and show us where to step. He promises to be our guide through times that are difficult, lonely, sorrowful, frightening times and when we have simply lost our way. During times of personal loss or when evil threatens us, God is with us. He will not forsake us. He is a lamp for our feet in the dark.

199

 October 28 – Following the Light out of Darkness

“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)

In the Old Testament the coming age of Messiah was prophesied to be a time when the Lord God would be a light for His people (Isaiah 60:19–22) as well as for the whole earth (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). This is the second “I am” statement. Previously Jesus declared Himself “I am the Bread of Life.” John used the “light” metaphor for Jesus in John 1:4; “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” The promise is for those who will follow the Light of the World. Follow Jesus and we will not walk in darkness. Follow Jesus and we will have the Light of Life because that is what Jesus is. Follow Jesus and have Jesus himself as our light in this life. We follow by knowing and understanding the Bible and what it teaches us about life. The promises of God come to life in the light of the world, Jesus Christ, Savior and Lord. Some choose to ignore this lite and remain in darkness because in truth, without Christ in our lives, there is only spiritual darkness. Let’s walk in the Light by choosing in faith to follow the Light of Life, Jesus our Savior. 

196

May 4 – Ransom Paid Remission Secured


“ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” – Colossians 1:13-14 (ESV)

In our previous verse (Colossians 1:12) we read the promise of a share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. That is why we must today look at the promise that springs from that one. This inheritance is in the … light. Some translations (NIV) supply the words “kingdom of,” which are not in the Greek. Rather this light is the spiritual sphere to which believers have been transferred from the dominion of darkness. From this dominion, power, or authority of darkness We as believers have been rescued, and therefore delivered. Through Christ they were brought from a rebel kingdom and placed under the sovereignty of their rightful King. The sovereign Christ is here called his beloved Son. Through Christ, God’s “Loved One,” Christians have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Let’s emphasize that “redemption” means “to rescue by ransom.” Christ paid that ransom for us on the cross and in His resurrection. And, “forgiveness” means “remission” by the Redeemer. This is our joyful emancipation from darkness which we possess in the Light of our Savior only because of the tremendous cost Christ paid on the cross.

187

March 26 – I AM The Light


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)


If we could travel through time and found ourselves in the past, the time of Genesis 1:1, we would not be able to see anything at all. The earth was formless with nothing but deep darkness covering it. It was the Son of God, Creator of all things* who created light by speaking it into existence and separated the light from the darkness. If we understand this we’ll recognize that Jesus Christ, who spoke the promises in this verse for today, is the one and same Son of God who created all including light for the world. Christ is the Light of the world. God is light, and Christ is the visible image of God. One sun enlightens the whole world; so does one Christ, and there needs to be no more. What a dark dungeon would be the world without our sun! So would life be be without Jesus, by whom light came into the world. Those who follow Christ shall not walk in darkness. We shall are not left without THE TRUTHS necessary to keep us from destructive the path and provide directions in the way necessary to keep them from condemning sin.

195


*(John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:15-17)