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

November 11 – From Whom Comes Victory

“For by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them.”  Psalm 44:3 (NASB)

It’s Veterans Day in the United States. On this day we honor those who have served in our armed forces. One of the ways that the Children of Israel preserved their history and it’s stories was in songs.  Psalm 44 is a song written for the purpose of remembering what God had done for them in securing the Promised Land and to offer up prayer and thanksgiving to God.  It was good for them to remember that God was the one giving them the victory.  Although God is Spirit this song says uses terms we can visualize. His right hand, His arm, and the light of His face, protects and providentially cares for us out of His love for us.  We can rejoice that God is the same today and Christians around the globe are God’s children and members of His family wherever we are.  He cares for us and watches over us just as He did for the people of Israel.  As we reflect we can remember the ways God has intervened in our lives and it is by His grace and power and wisdom that we make it through day by day.

194

October 12 – What We Imagine We Know

“And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” – Revelation 21:23-24 (NASB)

The past few days we have been sort of looking toward Heaven. We considered in part the question, “What is Heaven?” It’s God’s abode, where He is with believers and Old Testament saint. Yesterday, the question “Where is Heaven” was answered by saying “It is Up” because that is how the Bible speaks of it and of those who come and go to heaven.  Did you ever hear the saying “He’s so heavenly minded he’s no earthly good?” Is that still true or might we today say it in reverse? Today we ask “What is Heaven like?” Not easy to answer but we have glimpses. Revelation 3:12 says there’s a temple in heaven that the saints never leave, Revelation 7:15 for it is immense, infinite, eternal and God Himself is its Light,.  John sees a vision of the New Jerusalem descend out of  Heaven He sees the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. What kind of temple is it that God in eternal heaven spreads over all His people?  It is His Presence which is why the saints – that will be faith believers – will never leave. For that, Let’s Imagine and rejoice with thanksgiving! 

198

June 17 – Best Prepared

“The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1 (ESV)


Among in the promises we find in today’s verse are three that we of have from the LORD as our light, our salvation, and our stronghold. This word translated ‘stronghold’ in the original Hebrew text is used int the Old Testament for many different kinds of defensive places provided for us from God. The original meanings include: refuge, fortress, sanctuary, fortified, secure position, high point, mountain stronghold, and even ramparts. We reflect on how the psalmist declares God as not merely giving us light but that He is light within us, light around us, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us. The psalmist does not just say that the Lord gives light but that He is light. Neither does this passage just say God give us salvation but that He is salvation. By faith given to us from God, we have believed and receive all these blessings as our possessions. Romans 8:31 reflects on the words in this psalm, “Whom shall I fear?” For our future and present, “If God is for us, who can be against us.” We are prepared by God for anything either now, or in the time to come.

197

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

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

July 25 – Here We’re To Walk


“…but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin..” – 1 John 1:7 (NASB)

Today we have a promise that is wondrously great! Yesterday our verse and blog focused on David’s plea for forgiveness and cleansing from God after his sins of adultery and murder. But we know from the record in the Bible that David was one who walked in the Light of God – which our verse talks about today. God knows perfectly well that during our time on earth and until we depart this world and go to heaven, we will face temptations. We will actually commit sins for which we need forgiveness and cleansing. Any person who has by faith from God, believed in Jesus, is a genuine Christian, (a faith believer) and does not walk in darkness but only in the Light, and cleansing from sin continually occurs. As genuine Christians we walk in the Light (truth and holiness); we do not walk in darkness (falsehood and sin). To habitually walk in the Light means we share in the character of God because we permanently abide in Him and He in us. We will be consistently characterized by His holiness (3 John 11), revealing our true fellowship with God.

189