Psalm 118:21-29
21I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23This is the LORD’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25Save us, we beseech you, O LORD!
O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
26Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD.
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27The LORD is God,
and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar.
28You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.
“… 27The LORD is God, and he has given us light. …”
While in Liberia, I came to appreciate lights. In Monrovia, according to the literature, electricity is available only about half the time. It was typical to be driving down the main streets in town with only the dimly lit solar streetlights illuminating the road. In the country, it is even worse. Without a generator or solar panels, flashlights, and phone lights are the only forms of illumination. In such situations, one comes to appreciate light.
That’s also true of our life in the Spirit. Often, the darkness seems to block out our ability to navigate the stresses and pressures of everyday existence. Add to that the already diminished situation present amidst partisan politics, uncertain economics, job insecurity, and threats to health and health care. It’s no wonder folks seem to be feeling as if the world around them is growing darker.
Perhaps that’s why it is good to remember who is the source of true light. The Lord is God; and God alone gives us light. The psalmist reminds us of who it is that offers illumination in our often-darkened world. It is the Lord of heaven and earth, who created light, who shines forth amidst death, despair, disappointment, and distress.
“They need no light of a lamp or sun, for the Lord will be their light,” writer of Revelation pens. God is the Lord, and the Lord is the giver of light. Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Lord God, You are the source of all true light. Shine upon me this day that I may know Your presence amidst the darkness that often creeps into my life. Amen.