Life and Light 98

As I got ready to turn in for the night, I turned off my ceiling lamp in the bedroom.
I noticed that there was still quite a bit of light in the room, so I looked around for the source of this light. I discovered it to be none other than the small clock on my bedside table. The clock does have a dimmer feature, so I lowered the intensity of the light. I contemplated how visible the illumination was in the darkness. I found myself reflecting on a spiritual truth:

 "In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:4, 5 NIV)

In the darkness of this world and at times and seasons in each of our own lives, there is only one true light. It emanates from the "Son"- Jesus, the light of all mankind. Apart from Him and without His presence, we would find ourselves cast into utter darkness, a place of "weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth" (agony and distress), but in His presence (where He desires us all to be) is light, which translates into many facets. In Him is life- the peace beyond understanding, the joy that is our strength, the Rock to build this life on, provision and healing, a shelter from every storm.

The light of my clock has become a symbol for me.
Darkness may try to overcome us, but the Light of men-Jesus-cannot be overcome.

Hold Your Position! #137

"I have only two men out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold." 
~1stLt. Clifton B. Cates, USMC
in Battle of Belleau Wood, 19 July 1918

I was speaking to a sister in the Lord that I encountered today. When I asked her how things were, she didn't just throw the smily Christian - "I'm blessed!" - veneer at me. Instead she was honest. "Things are a mess right now, and I feel like I am coming apart at the seams..." 
I replied to her, "I totally relate, but God will give us the strength to occupy until He returns." 
I was reminded of the above quote from Lt. Cates, at the legendary WWI Battle of Belleau Wood. There are times that I feel like I'm in a foxhole with Lt. Cates and my sister and I'm sure so many others. The enemy's barrages are bombarding us, as we fend off wave after wave of attacks. 
We may be bloodied and wounded, our ammunition getting scarce. 
Let us not forget who we are in Jesus, just who it is we serve!
God, Adonai Tz'va-ot, (Lord of Armies, literally) tells us : "Hold your position, do not give way to the enemy. Do not be dismayed or discouraged, I am your strength, sword and shield, mighty tower. 
Beloved , so the Lord says : Hold your position! 
Greater is He that is with us than he who is in the world., and He will NEVER leave us or forsake us.
He promised!

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:12-14, 17, 20 NIV

Crossing the Jordan/Opposition

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.” (Numbers 13:1, 2 NKJV)

Moses and the children of Israel had finally come through the wilderness after"taking the scenic route", and there they camped poised on the banks of the Jordan. God had already declared and reaffirmed to His Chosen People that He was giving them the Promised Land. In spite of God's promise, all but 2 of the spies who were sent returned with negative reports. Fear, doubt, discouragement, and anxiety were sown, but among some there was still hope and faith...after all, God had promised, and they had seen and heard with their own eyes and ears too many miracles.
Moses had given Moses a message for each person and also for the entire company:

Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’ The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said. And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:1-8 NKJV)

Headed into this new year I understand what the children of Israel felt. Hope and faith are alive, but to be honest, discouragement and its unwelcome companions can sometimes take root.
These negative thoughts are tares sown by the enemy of our souls, the one who is the accuser and discourager.
It is his job to intimidate and immobilize us, and he does it exceedingly well.
But the Word of God tells us that God is love...Perfect love casts out all fear. He promised to go before us...and promises to be with us...even to the end of  age. We know the power of  God, trust trumps worry. Faith, hope, and courage overwhelm discouragement and anxiety...
Enemies vanquished...Land possessed... Promises fulfilled.

Rhetorical Questions/ The Navigator 191

"Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:4-9 NKJV

God asks Adam a rhetorical question here: Where are you?"
The Lord already knew where Adam was, since the Scriptures tell us that nothing is hidden from the King of the Universe. Not only did God know where Adam was located, but He also knew everything that had taken place, He knew Adam's every thought, and what was in Adam's heart.
In spite of Adam's fear he nonetheless fessed up.
He understood there was really no point in hiding from his Creator God.
When the voice of God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit, and asks us the same question:
"WHERE ARE YOU?"  it is also not because we are hidden from Him.
It is an introspective call for us to search our hearts.
Our Father, the Lover of us all, is listening, wanting us to "come clean" and admit what He already knows.
God always makes a way for us; He is the ultimate Navigator.
His Word is the only sure lamp and light for us.

'Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left."
Isaiah 30:21 NKJV