Day 64 (Year 2)

Believers Whom God Lights Up to Shine

“For You are my lamp, O LORD; And the LORD illumines my darkness.” (2 Samuel 22:29 NASB)

“For You light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness.” (Psalm 18:28 NASB) 

Both of the above scriptures come from David’s psalms. The preceding verses in both passages state that God deals with purity with those who are pure and trust in Him (2 Samuel 22:27; Psalm 18:26). Today’s two verses clarify what it means for God to deal with His people in purity. He illuminates the darkness in and on David. After receiving God’s light, David was able to rely on Him to charge through enemy lines and break through barriers (2 Samuel 22:30; Psalm 18:29). To gain victory in battle, we must overcome military blind spots—areas the enemy knows but we do not. At the same time, for soldiers to charge forward, the first thing they must overcome is fear. For some, the most terrifying thing is not any external person or situation, but the darkness and fear within. Thus, the darkness mentioned in these verses must be transformed into light in us. I understand this as a process, led by God, of helping believers recognize and deal with darkness. When believers understand how God intends to transform our darkness into light, we will rely on His illumination, fear no enemy, leap over obstacles, and ultimately gain victory.

The word “illumine” in today’s two scriptures comes from the Hebrew word nagah, meaning “to cause to shine, or enlighten.” David’s darkness is profoundly transformed into light by the coming of God’s light. We must first be willing to face the darkness within to experience this process of transformation. We then long for and pray for God’s light to come, and ask Him to lead us out of the darkness in which we dwell and then into His light. Afterward, we rely on Him to clear away all darkness and allow His light to illuminate us. The key is God leading us—to see our own darkness, and even more, to see His light. God’s work of cleansing the heart includes helping us overcome our inner darkness, personal blind spots, and fears. Indeed, the battle between light and darkness is fought within every believer’s heart. Only when we walk the path God is leading us on will we clearly see where change is needed. All in all, we must ask for God to be our lamp, be our light, and be always used by Him.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you know of any areas of darkness in you for which you need to pray for God’s light to come and transform that darkness into light? If so, what changes do you expect will take place?

2) From now on, are you willing to let God be your lamp and no longer rely on other sources of light? Why?