Lessons in the Light

What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. - Matthew 10:27

I used this verse last Friday to remind us that we need to be telling others about Christ and not hiding our lights under a bushel.  Today, I'd like to share with you another thought that struck me as I came across this verse last week in my Bible reading.  This idea focuses on the first half of the verse:  What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light.

It occurred to me that the opposite of this should be true in our lives as well:  What I tell you in the light, that speak ye in the darkness.  There's an old saying that admonishes, "Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light."  Same thing, right?

There are times I am so certain of God's will and so trusting in His will for my life that I feel I could move mountains.  Those are the times in the light.  Everything is clear.  The path is made straight.  The plans are laid out.  Let's do this!  But inevitably, the darkness comes.  What seemed so clear now looks uncertain.  The path is anything but straight.  As for the plans?  Who knows?  While following through with God's will for my life, I somehow stumbled into a pit of indecision, and in that smothering darkness, doubts invade my mind.

It is during these times that I often cling to one of my favorite quotes:  "Feelings are very real, but that's not to say that they are always true."  In the midst of darkness is not the time to make a decision because I know that decision would likely be based on feelings, not necessarily facts.    So instead, I cling to the truth of God's Word.  I go back and look at what He showed me in the light because, whether I feel like it or not, God's truth is unchanging.  What He showed me in the light is still good in the dark.  I can trust in that. . .much more so than I can trust in my ever-wavering feelings.

Perhaps you find yourself in a series of dark days, and you can't seem to figure out what God wants you to do.  Don't panic.  Trust in what God showed you in the light.  Return to His Word.  It will always lead and guide you.  And whatever you do, don't make any hasty decisions based on your current feelings.  The feelings will pass, but the results of poor decisions made in haste have a tendency to linger.  Wait out the darkness, and while you're waiting, meditate on what you know, not what you feel!