Listen

The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He lets me rest in grassy meadows; he leads me to restful waters; he keeps me alive. He guides me in proper paths for the sake of his good name.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger because you are with me. Your rod and your staff— they protect me.

Psalm 23:1-4

Think

Darkness has a way of always coming our way. In the evening, the sun always sets and the darkness fills in. And yet, darkness is not the end of the story. We turn on our lights by flipping a switch or lighting a candle or turning on the flashlight on our cellphone. The darkness may slow us down, but we have ways to illuminate the world around us.

Darkness though is also about challenges and heartache. It is about the tough moments in life. The moments when we are not sure what to do or if we can even go on. Just as the sun always sets, life comes with these sorts of hardships. Right now, a lot of people are sensing that our world is shrouded in the shadows of disease, of fear, of loneliness. We are in a dark valley.

But God is always present. We don’t need matches, switches, or even our cellphones. We need only open the eyes of our hearts, open to God’s light in these moments. When our hearts’ eyes are open, the darkness is still there surrounding us, but we can know it is not the end and it will not overcome us. God’s light, God’s presence with us enables us to face each challenge together.

Andrew Kellner

Pray

God, help me to open my heart to your presence this day and every day. Help me to see your light when things get tough and the darkness of the world seems to close in on me. Help me to share your light with those in need. Amen.

Go

Open your eyes today to the light of God surrounding you.

Open your eyes today to the light of God within you.

Open your eyes today to the light of God in each person you meet.

Open your eyes today, and see all that God has for you to see.