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“For You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord shall enlighten my darkness.  For by You I can run against a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall.  As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”  2 Samuel 22:29-31

Fighting the darkness with the Light

Do you have feelings of hopelessness concerning certain situations in your life?  Things that are beyond your control, things you wish – oh, you long to change, but you cannot?

I grappled with a bout of depression last year.

I didn’t smile.  Didn’t laugh.  Didn’t want to get up and face the day.

Simple chores seemed insurmountable.

I longed for bed time.

It was a hopeless feeling that I couldn’t shake.

I had lost hope.

This was a key verse that helped in my recovery.

I began the practice of giving thanks – see  Giving Thanks in the Hard, Mundane, or Insane – and that was the first step.

The next was Scripture memorization, which is what led me to write the 52 verses for 2015 challenge.

(This is not a five step, sure fire way to cure depression, by the way.  You may need extensive counseling.  I am simply sharing what the Lord did for me.  Everyone’s path to wellness is different, but never underestimate the power of God’s Word.)

We can’t change circumstances beyond our control.

But we CAN change how we deal with them.

And that, my friends, can make all the difference.

What is your perception of God?

What struck me about this verse that gave hope was the part that describes David running all by himself against any army.  And leaping over a wall!  How?

By You…by my God.

We have a tendency to limit God.  We follow our feelings, which tell us things are hopeless.  We can’t see the big picture, so we settle.

God has so much more than that for us!

David knew all about hopeless situations.  He pretty much ran for his life on a daily basis during certain time frames.

At one point he was responsible for having a man killed because he (David) was deep in sin.  he lost his infant son because of those actions.

To study the life of David is to realize that God is the God of the impossible, the God of down-and-outers, the God of second chances.

•  Are you fearful?
•  Are you guilt ridden?
•  Are you grieving?
•  Are you at a loss for the task at hand?

What are you struggling with?

David knew God’s power.  He had seen it first hand.  And chances are, you have too.  Don’t lose hope!  Memorize this verse with me.  Mull it over.  Take it a line at a time and meditate on it.

Light

For you are my lamp, O Lord.

 

What does a lamp do? 

Lightens our darkness.  Helps us see our immediate surroundings.

What does a lamp NOT do? 

Show us the rest.

The rest of the path, the parts beyond the outer edges – the future.  God is merciful like that.

He gives us enough light for now.  We can get through this moment – take this step.

When we get on down the path, He will get us through that moment too.

We can’t figure it all out at once, God knows we don’t have that capacity.

But He does, and He already has.

Here’s where faith comes in.

We must trust.

We yearn to see miles ahead.  For trust’s sake, God only guarantees us the light of His Word on the next few feet.  A lamp at arm’s distance.”  ~Beth Moore

Strength

For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.

 

That makes it sound like I can do anything!  Can I really do anything?

Most of us don’t need to fight an army or climb over walls.  But all of us have seemingly insurmountable objects in our way, such as doubt, fear, and shame.

I can do anything that is according to His will.

It is God’s will for me to trust in him.

It is His will that I have His peace.

It is His will that I claim His joy.

It is His will that I think on truth.

It is His will that I use all of His wonderful resources available to me in order to live the victorious Christian life.

Can I trust God?

Can I have His peace?

Can I have joy?

By You…by my God.

These words give me much comfort.  These words brought me up out of my own pit.  These words are LIFE!!!

Hope

As for God, His way is perfect.

In good times.

In bad times.

In tears.

In blessing.

In grief.

In joy.

In harvest, in famine, in sunshine, in rain.

Even in SNOW (which we have had plenty of in the north east).

I would rather put my trust in a God whose way is perfect than in my own ways which are full of wanderings and self doubt and fearful thoughts and worrisome fretfulness.

The word of the Lord is proven.

Over and over again in Scripture, His faithfulness is a testimony.

Over and over again in the life of the believer God does what He says He will do, and He never leaves His people.

Calm assurance…comes only when we remember and retrace His footprint on our past and continue with confidence on the path before us.”  From “The Esther Effect” by Dianna Booher.

God’s coverage

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

 

A shield protects.

There may be blows, but the shield softens them and stands between us and the enemy.

Remember, the real enemy is Satan, and his specialty is doubt.  The shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16) is able to extinguish all the “flaming darts of the evil one”.

He sows his doubt wherever he can, and girlfriend, if you give him a chance, he will go to work on you.

Don’t let him.

Use the armor of God!  It’s right at our fingertips!

God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.  In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare.  Pray hard and long.  Pray for your brothers and sisters.  Keep your eyes open.  Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. ~Ephesians 6:16-18, The Message

 

Here is a word on prayer and God’s promises from E.M. Bounds and his book, “The Power of Prayer”:

God’s promises cover all things that pertain to life and godliness and that have to do with time and eternity.  Prayer as spiritual energy makes way for and brings into practical realization, the promises of God.

Pray, memorize, share

So it would seem we have all that we need to live in this moment.

Get a notecard, a piece of paper, or a post-it note, and write down this passage, or enter it into your phone.  Look at it frequently throughout your days this week.  I promise, it will help you tremendously, as you pray it back to God and take each next, illuminated step.

I shared this verse with a young, homeschooling mom who was at the end of her rope.  She wrote it at the top of her blackboard – it gave her faith and courage to do the next thing.

I shared it with a friend who is struggling with the loss of a husband, rearing her children alone.  Now it’s on a note card, hanging on her bathroom mirror.

I’ve shared it with others who are looking for hope.

And now, I share it with you.  It’s not my verse, it’s everyone’s verse.

Who can YOU share it with?

The more you share God’s Word, the more your faith increases.

And faith helps you realize you CAN run against that troop, and you CAN climb over that wall!

Strategize.  How will you claim these promises?

1. Will you write this verse down and memorize it?  

2. Will you set aside time each day to pray and read God’s Word (that is proven and perfect)?  

3. Will you share this verse with others?

You too can eat an elephant

Try not to look at the whole, seemingly insurmountable mass of projects that you have to do.

Break it down into bite sized pieces.  You know the expression, “How do you eat an elephant?”  The answer is simple.  “One bite at a time.”

When homeschooling two teenagers in high school and caring for my parents who were struggling with health issues, that was my mantra.

I did not know how on this earth I was going to pull off a graduation, a wedding, a kitchen renovation, day to day schooling, and keep on top of my housework.

But guess what – I lived through it.  It all came together, and God once again proved Himself faithful.

These are the stories of life, my friend.

These stories are how we pull each other through – how we “keep each others spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

God wants to use your story.

So go run against that army and leap over that wall!

For you are my lamp, O Lord, the Lord shall enlighten my darkness.  For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.  As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”  2 Samuel 22:29-31