I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 1:18-20 

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
John 12:26

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In 2021, we moved into a new home. Before we got a chance to get used to our new surroundings, a storm ripped through our area causing trees to fall.  We lost power to our neighborhood for a few days, and a giant Sycamore tree fell in ours, and our new neighbor’s yard. The timing was especially challenging because the power outage happened the day before the first day at brand new schools for my sixth grader and freshman. The longer we went without power and light, the more our frustration grew. We felt powerless. Moving is challenging in and of itself, and this was not exactly what we would have hoped for, or could even plan for, but we pressed on.

Unpacking and navigating around in the daylight was a breeze. Sure, we didn’t have modern conveniences like kitchen appliances and running water, but we could carry on with ease, for the most part. When the sun went down and we were left with only flashlights and candlelight, we found ourselves fumbling around, navigating our new surroundings in darkness. We could only see where we shone a light when a flashlight or candle went out, the darkness consumed the room again and we had to use our other senses to stumble our way around to find another light source.

We are not nocturnal beings, which makes seeing in the darkness difficult. We can find living in darkness inconvenient, disorienting, and sometimes scary.  When we are facing challenging times and turn away from God, we live in spiritual darkness and find our darkness spilling out into the world and our loved ones. The longer we lived in the darkness, the larger our frustration grew. We longed for the light and jumped for joy—literally—when power was restored! This is where we can find encouragement in today’s scripture. Paul prayed our hearts would understand the glorious hope we have in these times. Our God is extraordinary. He created the Heavens, Earth, and all the stars in the sky. God’s mighty power created light. He sent His son to be the light of the world and that Son defeated the grave. Darkness is no match for our almighty God.

Next Steps

Heavenly Father,

Enlighten our hearts with the wisdom of your Word, that we may grasp the hope to which you have called us, and the riches of your glorious inheritance in the saints.

Grant us the power of your Spirit, to strengthen us with might in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell richly in our hearts through faith.

May we know the surpassing greatness of your power, towards us who believe, according to the working of your mighty strength.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.