Tag Archive | John 8:12

Our Constant Companion…

Mar4

Some days life’s path is dark. What light exists is subdued. The darkened path ahead appears to offer little hope of better days. Companions that were once our guardians against the darkness are no longer with us. While those who filled our days with laughter and purpose and kept the darkness at bay have grown up and moved on to travel their own paths. We wander alone. The darkness stalks us just biding its time. Waiting for us to make choices that will lead us further into the dark.

Then very faintly we hear a still small voice saying, “This is the way. Walk in it.” Yet, the voice is indistinct. We aren’t even sure we heard it right. It’s not a voice we have paid much attention to in the past. But in the darkness there is a louder voice competing for our attention. Challenging us to pay no mind to that faint voice. This voice is more familiar. For it consistently intrudes our thoughts. Yet, each moment we tune our ears to that quiet voice, the more our reception of it increases. Likewise, the volume of the voice in the darkness decreases.

And as we continue along this darkened path and heed the soft voice, subtle changes slowly emerge. A flicker of light illuminates our next step. And step by step the light continues to guide us. And as we move forward, the darkness slowly looses its boldness. It’s then we notice that someone has been walking with us all along.

We gaze ahead and further down, just beyond the darkness, we notice our path is illuminated. The brightness gives us something to look forward to. Strange how we couldn’t see it before! Perhaps our downcast perspective hampered our view. Head lifted, we fix our vision on the lighted path ahead. A fresh cleansing breeze begins to blow.

Prepare the way…

Mar24

I was listening to a song just this morning which contained the above words. The song was referring to our preparing the way for Christ. It brought to my mind the verse in Matthew 3:3 ESV describing John the Baptist “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord;…” So for me that begged the question:

How does one prepare the way for Christ?

Everyone and I mean EVERYONE goes through trials. No one is spared in this sin prone wilderness. But what is different is the manner in which we manage our trials. What does our faith look like at the end of a trial? Are we more messed up by that trial? Or are we stronger for having faced it?

We are not living in isolation on this earth. There are people all around us who watch us. If we proclaim to be a Christian, then they get particularly curious about how we handle trials. Why do we think that is? Obviously, everyone wants to overcome their trials. No one wants to be done it by them. So we go on the look out for someone who not only survives a trial but is the stronger and wiser for having gone through it.

It’s the exercise of enduring the trial that produces increased strength and wisdom. And that’s the person we want to examine. A person that doesn’t put on a fake front. A person that isn’t afraid to be real. A person that turns to God’s word to expose the lies (fiery darts) of the enemy. This exposure replaces the lies that breed hopelessness with God’s truths that inspire hope.

Therefore our question is answered. We prepare the way for Christ as we lean in to God’s truths during the trials we inevitably will face in life. Thereby, showing others the way to bring light into the darkness, to bring freedom to the captives, to restore the broken-hearted, to bring hope to the hopeless, to comfort all who mourn…