Episode 585

TODAY’S READING

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalms 23:4

I was working on the podcasts. I was working on a million things, and there was some lightning outside, and I guess something struck the power box in our neighborhood or in our block, and the lights went out. And I was left in total pitch darkness. And the first thing that happened was I was overcome by fear. I absolutely hate being in pitch-black darkness. I don’t like not being able to see my very hand in front of me. And I was very scared for a moment that just a rush of adrenaline runs through your body, and the first thing that I did was look for my phone to turn on the flashlight. And I think that that’s a perfect picture of what world when the rug is pulled from underneath us. We are quickly and quietly overcome by fear. If something happens, if a doctor’s report comes through, if you’re suffering from anxiety or depression, if anything happens to you, you are so quick to be running with adrenaline you’re very scared. It’s easy to give in to that fear. 

Now, the reality of the situation is that we’re not quick to look for the light in our lives. We would rather be paralyzed in fear than look to the light and the Word of God to help us navigate a season. So if you get anything out of today’s devotional, the same way that our natural response in the physical world when the lights go out is to look for a flashlight. May that be the natural response when the rug gets pulled out from underneath us? If the lights go out in your life. If something happens if you’re walking through some Valley, don’t stay there. Don’t be paralyzed by fear. Look to the light inside you, the voice of the Lord. Look to the Word of God. Look to his direction, His promises and let that be your guiding light out of that valley, for the best is yet to come; memorizing verses like you can speak over your life when a situation happens. If he is the Maker of all things, he will allow that mountain to move. You are able to have mustard-seed faith. So there are many things that you can hold on to. But if there’s one thing, may we not fear evil, may we remember that he is with us. For he is our rod and our staff, and he comforts us. He is our great comforter. He is that light that we can look to.

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You, Lord, for this beautiful Monday. We thank you for the opportunity to get to know you more every single day; Lord, in our lives, as the lights may go, well, maybe we’re currently walking through a valley, or Lord, maybe we just remember a valley that we’ve walked in in the past or the same way that in the national the lights go out. We looked for a flashlight. God, may it be the same way in our spiritual life and our emotional life when the lights go out when we look through you, the lights of our lives to guide us through every season. Lord, we pray for anybody under the sound of our voice that may be suffering from a doctor’s report or may be suffering or from sickness in the body. Lord, we ask that you guide them and be their light. Lord, we are praying for anyone suffering from anxiety, worry, depression from addiction, whatever the case may be, whatever season they are in. Lord, we are asking that you cover them in prayer, for we’re praying for anybody dealing with infertility, Lord, anybody who’s looking to start a family and cannot do so at this moment. God, we are praying that you have your hand over their lives and their family and that you continue to make a way when there is no way, and that you let them and continue to guide them and grind. There’s God; every single one of us has a different story. Every single one of us comes from a different place, but you know them all. You see us all, and you love us all. So Lord, when the lights go out in our lives, we look to you; we thank you. We ask that you bless us on this beautiful Monday. And we pray this all in your son’s mighty and holy name. Amen.