How to Bring Light to a Dark Situation

Yes, I already know. I do a lot of goofy things. It’s a good thing I love to laugh at myself as much as others may laugh at me. But this time—well, I am actually embarrassed to share what I did! It was just so stupid of me! But it brings spiritual insight…so here goes….

My husband’s car had been in the shop. I picked it up while he was out of town, so I drove it for an entire week before we traded our cars so I could get mine back. I’m not used to his Mustang. All the controls are different, and I don’t have to think about where things are in my Explorer. 

The Mustang sits so much lower than the Explorer, and I noticed how hard it was for me to see at night. I complained to Denny that his lights don’t sit as high, so I can’t see the road far enough ahead. I had been having difficulty driving at night. I especially had trouble on a particular dark, curvy road.

When Denny got his car back, we looked at the lights together. He wanted to make sure everything was functioning properly and that it wasn’t just the difference in how low or high the lights were in relation to the road. 

It was then I discovered that I had been driving his car at night for an entire week with no lights on. Only the parking lights. On the dark, curvy roads. On the highway. To my defense, the mechanic had turned the automatic light setting off, and we always leave it on. I truly must have had guardian angels all around me because it’s a miracle I didn’t get hit in that black Mustang. 

I had struggled and complained all week that I couldn’t see, when all I would have needed to do was turn on the lights! And you can probably guess where this insight is heading…How many times have I struggled spiritually because I couldn’t see the right path? How many times have I failed to turn to the light of God’s Word to help me see more clearly? 

Psalm 119:105 reminds me, “Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” When I am struggling, God’s Word helps me gain His perspective of a situation. It guides me to make better choices. It brings light to a dark situation. It shows me the path ahead with better clarity. 

When our pathway is dark, sometimes we get used to living in the shadows. We make struggle a part of our lifestyle, not realizing how our lives could be different if we turned on the light. Are you struggling with something right now? God’s Word is sufficient to provide answers to every problem we face. You may feel overwhelmed to the point that you don’t feel you have time to study the Bible. I challenge you to spend more time in The Word, not less. 

Spending time in God’s Word may not change our situation. But it changes us. It is the source of all wisdom, both spiritual and practical. Hebrews 4:12 tells us “the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit…it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” 

But the verse right before it in verse 11 talks about entering God’s rest—“Make every effort to enter that rest.” It seems that there is a connection between having peace and rest and reading God’s Word. His truths change our perspective to relieve our fears and anxieties. Peace. Rest. Hope. 

I pray you find peace, rest, and hope. I pray God illuminates your way when your pathways are dark. Just don’t forget to turn on The Light! 

In the Dust

Your Word is like a precious jewel,
Giving me my daily fuel—
To face the battles of the day,
To light my path and guide my way.
You are my heart’s desire, my thirst.
Above all else, I’ll love you first,
For, Lord, You’ve never failed to be
A help and hope and rock to me.
So often I have hit the dirt,
Lost and lonely, broken, hurt…
With friends on earth who can’t quite be
The comfort that You’ve been to me.
But in those lonely times You’ve come,
Brushed off the dust, scrubbed off the scum
And bound my wounds with tender hands.
You are the God who understands.
How precious are my thoughts of You—
That You, God, care what I go through
And have it all in Your control
To mold my life toward You, my goal.
So teach me, Jesus, more of Thee
In any trial my life may see.
And when I taste the bitter dust,
I’ll cling to You, whose hand I trust.

c. Bobbie Perkins