Email

Bookmark

Print

The Light of His Presence

I found my seat in the middle section of a small theater and sat down but my mind was not on the performance about to begin. Once more I found myself in a family crisis. Major decisions I could no longer avoid forced themselves upon me, but I didn't know what to do. I floundered in indecision and fear.

The theater darkened. The curtains on the stage parted. A beam of light coming from a control room from behind me illuminated the stage.

Lord, light up my life like that stage, I thought. I felt if God would give me more light, I'd be better equipped to make wise decisions.

Half-way through the first scene, an usher came down the aisle guiding two late-comers. In his right hand he held a flashlight forming a small circle of light at their feet. Slowly he moved ahead to the appropriate row, then he shone the light onto two vacant seats.

He waited patiently until the man and woman had sat down. Then he turned off the flashlight, and walked quietly back to the entrance.

That's how I lead you! The thought was as clear as though God had spoken audibly. As you read my written Word and obey it, you'll have enough light to know what step to take next; and then, there'll be more light for the next step, and the next. Trust me. Obey the directive you have. Am not I responsible to see that you get safely to the right place?

His reassuring words wrapped themselves around me like a warm blanket.

Then I thought of the man in the control room doing his thing - throwing switches, moving the light around. As a technician, he had no personal interest in those people on the stage. All he wanted was a professional performance.

Was God Like That?
A cosmic technician interested only in a perfect performance? No!

"I (myself) will lead the blind by ways they have not known," he said in Isaiah 42:16, "along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them; and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them."

Of course, God, who cares deeply for his children, would want to be involved in the journey. He would choose the personal approach!

Our Lord would choose to walk with me in the darkness just like that usher. Near enough to grab an arm should I stumble; close enough to illumine a written scripture for personal guidance, or to wrap his words of comfort around my troubled heart.

With God at my shoulder shining his light at my feet, I had nothing to be afraid of. Thankfully, I relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the play.

Related Reading:
Interactive online studies
Discover the Spirit-Filled life
Need advice? Ask us.

~ Helen Grace Lescheid is the author of numerous articles and two books published worldwide: Lead, Kindly Light and Treasure in the Darkness. She resides in Abbotsford, British Columbia, is a retired nurse, mother of five children and grandmother of three.