I’m woken up at 4:30am multiple nights in a row. I can do nothing but say the name of Jesus. My squadmates can’t sleep or walk across the base in the dark. We’ve walked into a spiritual darkness here that we were not expecting. The air itself is weighty. So, we do all we know to do: worship.
As a child of the Light, I get to walk with my eyes on Christ and all else fades away. We carry light, but that doesn’t mean we get an easy pass to ignore the darkness. Darkness tries to tempt me with lies, with lack of purpose, with the stripping of vision, with isolation, with deep depression, with anxious thoughts, with doubts about what I KNOW my Father is doing. This darkness hit me this week in the jungle. I thought my brain was just in a funk, but those thoughts were not mine to dwell in. They were mine to take captive and strip of power. We are promised that darkness will come, but we are also promised that the Lord will shine upon us and come as our everlasting light (Isaiah 60).
So, what did I do? I took after my squad and generations of believers before me. I put on a boppin playlist and danced Hell away with God. I looked like a lunatic on our upstairs deck as the rain poured down. My brain was swimming too much to do anything, but my body defiantly chose merriment. As I joyfully pounded the ground and spun around, gratitude and light began to flood any foothold the enemy had. I am not saying my act of silly childlike dancing cured darkness, but I am saying that merriment changed my perspective of the downpour.
Martin Luther once said, “The devil is a sad spirit and likes sad people therefore he cannot bear merriment. This is the reason why he flees as far as possible from music. He doesn’t stay where people sing.” So this is how we fight our battles as Gap C, and even more so, as the Church. “Through Him, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God” (Hebrews 13:15).
It is an honor that God trusts us to walk through darkness and not succumb; to walk through the fire and not be burnt (Isaiah 43). Let us be a people that can call out darkness for what it is and choose into praise and merriment to drown it out. Let’s choose to step into this battle with the weapon of rejoicing. If you need further evidence of the power of merriment, just look up the words “thanksgiving” or “praise” in your bible and let your spirit be refreshed!
“As for me, I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more” (Psalm 71:14).
Remember to dance a little this week,
Abbs
Two things!
First: if you would like some intercession from your sister here, please email me and it would be my honor to pray for you. Know that if you email me, you WILL be prayed for and prophesied over. It would be my joy to hear praises and requests from your life! Love you. Mean it.
Second: Gap C is doing LOTS of manual labor here in Costa! We started laying the foundation of a house for a sweet grandmother and her grandson. We’re partnering with Homes of Hope to bring some light into this little family! It is sweaty and sweet work! Pray for strength on hot days and enjoyment in sore muscles!
