Finding the Light

Read Psalm 18:25-36

Lord, how merciful you are to those who are merciful. And you do not punish those who run from evil. you give blessings to the pure but pain to those who leave your paths. You deliver the humble but condemn the proud and haughty ones. You have turned on my light! The Lord my God had made my darkness turn to light. Now in your strength I can scale any wall, attack any troop.

What a God he is! How perfect in every way! All his promises prove true. He is a shield for everyone who hides behind him. For who is God except our Lord? Who but he is as a rock? Psalms 18: 25-31 (TLB)

Jenn Bailey lives in West Virginia. Several months after her college graduation, a few lumps formed in her neck. She had been sick and assumed her illness had caused her lymph nodes to swell, which is fairly common. But one day Jenn woke up with a 102-degreee fever, and her dad took her to the hospital. After days of waiting and praying, Jenn received a cancer diagnosis at age 24. Her faith was shaken, and she felt shrouded in darkness.

Even though her heart wasn't in it, Jenn went to church each Sunday, knelt at the altar, and cried out to God. The more she listened to sermons, attended Bible studies, and participated in prayers groups, the more Jenn felt God's presence and found meaning in God's words.

It is easy to trust God when everything is going well. But when something terrible happens, it is easier to turn our backs on God. Often when we experience grief and pain, we get lost in the struggle and cannot see God's guiding light. We may even fall away from our walk with God. But sometimes it is in those dark times that we can more clearly see the light of God shining through.

Prayer: Dear God, give us the strength to see your guiding light through our darkest moments, in Jesus' name. Amen.