Darkness is light to him
March 29, 2020 | Mary Sumner
Editor's note
About the author: Mary and Barry Sumner are longtime residents of Zionsville and have attended ZPC for over twenty years. Barry is a lay pastor and serves in several ways at ZPC and oversees Hispanic Ministry for our Presbytery. Mary is a women’s ministry leader for Revive and Restore Ministries. They have two grown children and two grandchildren, ages six and three.
About this post: We want to stay connected! This blog post is part of a series of daily devotionals for this season. Read them, share them, and pray that they bring God's peace and love to our communities. To sign up to receive text notification of these posts, text zpc to 39970. We welcome your comments and questions each day.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Psalm 139
To you the night shines bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
Psalm 139:12 NLT
To some of us it may seem like the lights have suddenly been turned off. We used to see the future relatively clearly. There were certain things that we could rely on and expect to be the same when we woke up as when we went to bed. No more.
It may even seem that the enemy, the devil, is winning this round. But nothing could be further from the truth. The Lord Jesus won this war on the cross when he declared, “It is finished.” Satan is defeated. Don’t let him deceive you into living in fear. When the Lord, who is the owner of the light switch and Guardian of the true light rips back the veil, we will see that it has always been light to God.
Is there hardship? Yes. Is there reason to be cautious? Always. Peter warned us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” The operative word is “like.” There is only one lion in the spiritual realm, the Lion of Judah, our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan can only imitate God. His roar is meant to deceive and cause fear, his primary strategy. A frightened herd of animals might be convinced to run off a cliff, but not those equipped for battle with the Word of God. Let’s choose not to be deceived and not to fear.
Our Lord Jesus has been given ALL authority in heaven and on earth. (Matt.28:18) We belong to him. He is our rescuer. The Holy Spirit, the power of God, who is stronger than anything in this world lives in us (1 John 4:4). We are children of God, children of the light, and darkness is always cast out by the light.
Uncertainty can cause fear. Let’s stand up and declare Christ’s victory over this darkness, shine God’s light of truth on the fear, and ask God to pour out more of his love and his Spirit on this dry and thirsty world. What Satan may have worked for evil, God can and will use for our good!
Read Psalm 139. God is never surprised. Every day of our lives has already been written in his book, and the author is our Father, our advocate and our friend!
Read and pray Psalm 91 out loud.
9“If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
Psalm 91:4 tells us that God’s faithful promises are our armor and protection. Ask God for a promise and claim it for you and your loved ones.
Finally, let’s be wise. James 1:5 states that if we ask God for wisdom, he will give it to us. But we must believe what he tells us. Right now, Jesus is reminding us that he loves us so much that he died to set us free from fear and deception. He is still the way, the truth and the life.
Prayer
Father God,
Forgive me for giving in to the fear and uncertainty. Holy Spirit, remind me who I am in Christ, what he did to save me, and open my eyes to see him working on our behalf every moment. We are not victims. We are not helpless. Jesus, I declare your victory and protection over myself, my family, my possessions, and finances. Turn on the light of your truth and love now. In your powerful name, I pray.
Amen.
Dear friend, be blessed as you rest in the eternal arms of your Father God. Know that you are safe there. Let his peace fill every cell of your body, and let his love wash away every fear. Be filled with that love and peace and go and change atmospheres in your family, workplace and church. Be blessed as you pray unceasingly for Christ to claim his victory and turn the light of truth and love on in the hearts of millions, even for the first time. Amen.
Mary Sumner, March, 2020