2020 ADVENT DEVOTIONAL
Psalm 119:105
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
I am grateful that I learned at an early age that God speaks to us directly. I enjoyed having “conversations” with God at by bedroom window, or as I sat in His presence during meditation. I journaled conversations with Him and blogged “learnings” from those conversations. He taught me how to be still, to recognize His voice, and to listen deeply. He often sent me to my old Webster Dictionary to look up the deeper meanings of words, like “obey”…”to know what is possible, and to act without hesitation or doubt”.
So, I sought God for inspiration for this Advent scripture. Here is my “Spirit learning”:
Don’t be afraid of the “dark”. Instead, look at, study, and acknowledge the “darkness” …I am already there! Darkness is as daylight to Me…nothing is hidden or unknown to Me. Trust Me, I will direct you in the way that you should go. I will transmute the “power” in the darkness into the very Light that will empower you to run the path I set before you.
I looked up “LIGHT” in the dictionary and meditated on its meanings. Here are the Webster definitions followed by my “Spirit” interpretations:
- a lamp (grounded, steadfast light)
- a beacon (guiding light, flashing to get your attention, showing the way).
- a flashlight (to hold in your hand, lighting the path)
And I acknowledged my pandemic “darkness”: the death of family members, the ugliness of social injustice, to fear of COVID exposure and fatigue of isolation, damage to our home with Hurricane Zeta, and the most stressful, selling our home in Canada.
When COVID-19 hit, the US/Canada borders shut down and we had the challenge of selling our Lake Erie home in Canada long-distance from Mississippi. When we got a buyer in May, we had to negotiate, close and move without being there. What started out being a win-win, since the buyers wanted the furnishings, quickly became a nightmare. The buyers were insufferable! Even though we were leaving them 85% of our household, they demanded payment for furnishings that we had agreed to take! There was nothing we could do. In the end, we were only able to get our livingroom and office furniture and personal belongings. After 20 years as our home, it was like suffering a death!
In prayer I kept hearing the Spirit say “detach…attach yourself to God alone”. As much as I wanted to fight for things that rightfully belonged to us, I listened. Although it meant that we were going to have to purchase everything new for the unfurnished apartment in the states, I have learned to listen and obey…even reluctantly. So, I surrendered, and God took over.
Our wonderful Canadian neighbors packed and helped coordinate the professional movers. The complex in Michigan held our apartment so the sale and the movers timed perfectly. Plus, because family members were refurnishing their homes, we were able to get beautiful furniture for a fraction of the cost. In the end, God transmuted that darkness into Light, and overwhelming gratitude replaced stress. Truly God had been a light to our path.
Thank you, Precious Father, for teaching me to be still and listen…to meditate on what You say that I might know…absorb Your Word, Your LIGHT, into my being and understanding. To let go and trust you. Your Word is a beacon to get my attention; a grounded, steadfast lamp to dispel the darkness and give me vision; and a flashlight I can grasp to illuminate my path. I am forever grateful, Father, for Your Light and consummate love!
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