Light in Darkness

Light in Darkness

 

From my worship journal, written 5 years ago, but so relevant to our present dark situation.

 

Lord, I praise you this morning for the great and high privilege of knowing you, of being your child, of knowing how I fit into your creation. It is wonderful to have, in you, acceptance, worth and value, position, power and privilege, holiness, help and happiness. These are your gracious gifts to your children; I can find them in no other source.

 

You, Lord Jesus, are my Savior, my Shepherd, my Sovereign. I praise you for your great Love, for your Faithful follow through, for your pure Perfection, for your high Holiness, and for your full Forgiveness. You are always there, always loving, always good, always effective, especially when I cannot see or sense any of this. “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them” (Psa. 34:7).

 

I praise you that you help me as I need it—which is all the time. I thank you for the difficult times you lead me through, I thank you for the problems, the disappointments, the anguish that are important for my growth and deepening (James 1:2-4), and provide opportunities to give you honor (Psa. 50:23). I praise you for your care, your protection and your provision in the midst of it all.

 

You, Lord God, are Mighty, Majestic and Magnificent; you are Great, Gracious and Good; you are High, Holy and Humble. You are worthy of worship, of obedience, of glory, of exaltation, of magnification, of honor, of praise. And I want to give all of these to you today.

 

Lord, at this time of such difficulty in my life, one of the most comforting, encouraging things about you is that you have a plan and a purpose in what you do: “The plans of the Lord stand firm forever and the purposes of his heart through all generations” (Psalm 33:11). You know exactly what you are doing and you are going to bring about your great goals no matter what the enemy, Satan, wants, no matter what your enemies (unbelievers) do, or how your children rebel: “The Lord foils the plans of the nations and thwarts the purposes of the peoples” (Psalm 33:10).

 

I praise you with my whole heart, with all that is within me, for your wisdom, your power, your love and your faithfulness–all of which are displayed in your planning, promises and past performance. These give me great security, for when all seems to fall apart around me and in me (as it is now), I can know that you are at work, bringing to pass your plans for the future, for the universe, and for me.

 

Just as you were with Joseph, so you are with me. You were with him when his brothers sold him, when he trudged through the desert in shackles, when he was sold again in Egypt to just the right man, when he was put in prison, when the man who promised to help him forgot—you were at work, preparing Joseph for the great task of saving many and preserving the line of Christ, playing the role you had for him.

 

So you are doing in my life. I can trust you, no matter how bad things seem to get. I can know that you are carrying me forward, not because I deserve it, but because you are the God of Love, Light and Life who has proven your care for me and every other person in the world, over and over again. I can rest in your Truths when, from my perspective, everything is going wrong.

 

You only, Lord God, are my Rock, my Salvation, my high Tower, my Fortress, my Sanctuary. In you I am safe, in you I am protected, in you I have refuge. I praise and thank you for your goodness to me in every way, none of it deserved, all of it appreciated.

 

I thank you for your care and protection you will provide for today. I bow before you in worship. I surrender to you my will, my life, my future. I rise up to obey you no matter how I feel. Help me to keep on the armor, to stand firm in your Truth, to follow you consistently. To you be glory in my life today. Amen!

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