Pray first.
Read Genesis 1: 1-5
So I’m a little bit of a nerd. I loved the first day of school, from elementary, to high school to college. I loved the excitement of a new seat in class, the new book satchel (first grade, baby!), a new teacher for the year, a new locker, and new books from the bookstore. I like spring because it is the beginning of warmer weather, the beginning of longer days, and the beginning of the earth coming back to life. I like new beginnings! And it’s a good thing, we are a military family and we have had lots of new beginnings…at least 18 moves in 30 years!!
The beginning is chock full of wonder! And here we are in our study of Genesis, hanging out in the very beginning, first day of creation! The day when God created light.
“God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.” Genesis 1: 4-5
We know that the darkness and the light were necessary for us to understand time span, days, weeks, months, years, and seasons. God separated the light and the dark. He put boundaries on the darkness and made it so that even a glimmer of light would overcome the darkness.
The problem with us humans is that we often think we know better than God and end up wallowing in darkness instead of the Light. We see a shiny object and want it; we are easily tempted into going down a wrong and dangerous path because the liar, Satan, makes it appear delightful. Eventually, we find ourselves in some really dark places and wonder how we got there, how to get out, how to start anew.
Regardless of the darkness that surrounds us, regardless of the choices we made to get there, God the Father truly loves us and longs for us to turn to Him, the Light. Jesus tells a story in Luke chapter 15 of a young son who found himself in a very dark place. This son had asked his father for his share of inheritance, which he received. He took off to the big city where he lived it up, partied late into the night, night after night. He spent his inheritance on booze, fancy living, mink coats, and fast cars (my own modern-day interpretation)! As his resources dwindled, so did his light, his enthusiasm, his peace. His inheritance was gone and tough times hit. In desparation, he went to work on a pig farm. On his darkest day he found himself longing to eat what the pigs were eating.
Jesus goes on to say in this story of the prodigal son, “when he came to himself” he remembered that even his father’s hired servants lived a much better life than he was now living. I think it’s quite possible that God was calling him, stirring his heart, when “he came to himself.” He ran home, and his father ran out to greet him. He repented for his behavior and humbly asked to come home and work as a servant. His father rejoiced, gave him a good bear hug, and threw a big celebration to welcome him home, back to the light! A fresh start like a new spring day!
If you have turned away from God, as we all do, and found yourself wandering in the darkness please know that God loves you and wants you to come back to him. In some way he is calling you home. It may be through a thought that comes to you, a heaviness in your heart, something someone says, or a song you hear. He wants to draw you out of the darkness and into his marvelous light, like the prodigal son.
Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8: 12
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5
I could go on! The point here is that God is light and He wants us to walk and live in His light. Just like He separated the light and darkness in the beginning, He wants us to be separate from the darkness.
So, what do we do when the light in our life seems to fade and darkness begins to creep in and take over? What do we do when circumstances seem bleak? What do we do when we have made bad choices, fallen into sin, and are in a dark place? RUN! Run to God as fast as possible!
“…let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us RUN with patience the particular race that God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 (TLB)
There is no better way out of the darkness and into the light than to turn to the Creator of Light, the one who is called The Light. We can do this by Praying, reading the Bible and worshiping the Creator. These are the things that shine light and bring us courage to take steps away from our sin and toward God. Not only do these things help us get out of darkness and into the light, these are the same things that help us stay in the light and make better choices, that help us reject temptation, that help us draw near to God. Pray. Read the Bible. Worship God!
Pray!
Prayer is you talking to God and listening to God. Tell God where you are and what you feel like. Tell him about the dark place that you want out of and that you are sorry for your sins. Ask him to help you see him, understand him and his ways. Ask him to help you hear him, to know his voice. Tell him that you want to trust in him. In Matthew 6 Jesus teaches us how to pray; there are several other prayers to use in the Bible as a guide or pattern for praying, but in Matt 6:5, Jesus says, “when you pray.” Not if. So, pray.
Read the Bible!
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) Deep dive into His word. Even if we don’t understand all that we read in the Bible some of the time, or a lot of the time, we learn something; we may receive only a little nugget for the day but we’re working on a lifetime of nuggets. And sometimes a nugget is worth gold! In this devotional path, we will continue going through Genesis for a while. If you’re new to reading the Bible, you may also find it helpful to read Jesus’ words in the New Testament; most Bibles have those printed in red letters.
Worship!
Honor God for all that He is; for all He has done. He is the creator of the universe, after all. He is the one who spoke light out of the darkness. No matter how dark or bleak things may seem at the time, find something to thank Him for. Thank him for calling you out of the darkness and into the light. It will begin a change in how you see and what you see. Try looking through Psalms, there are some great worship passages there! And tune the radio to a Christian station; let the words and music draw you closer to the presence of God.
RUN!
Run to the presence of God, and see what He will do!!! Regardless of the season we are currently in, you may find it feels a little like a new spring day! The first day of a marvelous life! A new beginning!
Worship:
Forever Reign (I’m running to your arms) by Hillsong Worship
Run to the Father (again and again and again) by Cody Carnes
Find Tracy on Facebook at Tracy Fields Todd, Writer, and on Instagram at @tracyftodd.
