True joy, I’ve learned is not a feeling, but a calm assurance of resting in the reality that Jesus is Lord—and He is in control. Allowing God to be in control of every situation is the best thing that we can do for ourselves. Yes we are human, and yes we like to be in control but think to yourself for a moment and ask when has anything turned out better my way rather than God’s? For when we allow God to take control and surrender everything to him, that is when hope works best. After all, He is the God of hope, and love, and peace.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Here in Malaysia I am here ministering to a community that doesn’t want really anything to do with Christianity, because the government has made it so that when people hear about it they shutter in fear. The contact that I am working with (which I cannot reveal their names due to safety reasons) has followed God’s call for his life whole heartedly. He is able to have hope in the darkness of Malaysia, that the Lord will “Arise and Shine!” (Isaiah 60:1)
I have to think to myself what would it be like to live in a place with no lights, with nothing but darkness and the light of the day to fill the place. It amazes me to think that I get to be a light here that my team gets to be God’s light and shine bright for those around us to see. And you can bet they notice that there is something different. Because not only do they see the joy that is on our faces but that we have a glow about us.
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross says that, "People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” I love this analogy that people are like stained-glass windows. It is true we are like them that we each have a unique beauty and story that can be shown to the world. When the darkness does settle into our lives though, what will really be revealed?
We are able to have certain victory over the darkness that will settle into our lives at some point through the light of the world! How amazing is it to think that we have the light of the world on our side? We have the best light in us, the best hope and eternal grace living inside of us, and that my friends is Jesus! For where there is a shadow, there must be light and that light is God.
The awesome thing is that where I am at I can see the darkness already fleeing and I can see the work that God is doing here even though there cannot be any direct evangelism people are still learning and seeing the gospel and the hope that we have. God is at work here!
In Psalm 18:28 David writes, “You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” A verse that always comes to mind when I talk about God being my light is Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” I feel like this is such an important verse to remember because we can find the most comfort in God’s word. His word is our light guide in the dark, in essence it’s our flashlight helping guide us through the dark.
Something that I tend to forget about, is that there is never a moment when I am out of the presence of God. We are never in a moment without our light, our hope. Wherever Jesus stepped, there was no place for darkness to hide. Out of His character and into our everyday situations the light flowed and the darkness fled! Whenever we may feel like hope is not there it is, and it is working, He is working in your life to make it better. We always have a choice of accepting or rejecting the hope that God offers us. It all comes down to this, which path are we willing to take?
So cast off the darkness and put on the armor of light! There is a battle and you are the soldiers who are marching with the one who already has the victory “For I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have trouble in this world but take heart for I have overcome them all!” (John 16:33)
I and my team are putting on this armor and stepping into the darkness so that it may flee and the light of hope may come and be in this place, so won't you come and join us?
