Encouragement

Enduring In The Shadows Of Darkness

by Brandon Braddy
08/07/23
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Psalm 119: 81 (Kjv)
Luke 1: 79 (Kjv)

     On August 6th, 2023, it was raining, possibly thundering, and then, all of a sudden the lights went out at a certain public place in my city with many people sitting inside, listening to the person who was speaking. I will not name the place or give extra details out of respect, but I will say this, not to place the person who was speaking to this audience upon a high pedestal, because only God should get all glory and ultimate praise for helping this person, but to honor the God who uses people to accomplish His own plans and purposes, and to show forth a point that should be a help to us all, I will say, the person who stood speaking did not stop too long before continuing on still with the same God-given words he had been speaking with before the place was covered in darkness. And there is something to be said for that, that when we are surrounded, any one of us as Christian people, by darkness, that is by difficult seasons, difficult times in our lives, we are sitting there in the dark it seems, we get back up and going, or we continue walking as were before, please, get back up, and for those still standing during those difficulties you may be facing, continue enduring even in the shadows of darkness, Do not quit, never give up, let not the darkness overtake us, because life sometimes can arrive with uncertainties, with obscurity that plagues our vision, our views that is, but let the light of Christ come shining into your heart and all around you, invite Him to be the Light that enlightens every step you take, be listening for and to His voice which remains high above and so much clearer than any of the lies from our adversary, the devil. Do not allow the shadows of uncertainties and the obstacles of obscurity hinder the race that we as Christians are called by God to run, and with patience, that is endurance, so let us run. Life can get tough, it can be difficult, it is going well, we are running the race of life well, and then suddenly, we get gum on our shoes, or there is an obstacle, a pile of rocks on the track of life, as we attempt to swerve and miss them, but by doing so, by focusing entirely on the obstacle ahead of us, we loose momentum and arrive at last at the finish line, but in a lesser or even last position, so we are awarded a less valuable prized trophy. I desire to run well, also to finish well, the race God has called me to run, but my eyes have to be constantly focused on the prize, my prize is Heaven, but it is ultimately a Who, not only a place, our prize will be seeing Jesus, that will be the ultimate Prize in Himself. Keep your focus right, eyes on the Prize, Jesus said Himself that life will be full of troubles, it will not always be easy sailing, but sail on! Persevere, knowing that even in the shadows of difficult times, of personal storms, and troubles and distresses left and right, Jesus is the Light who shines with us, in us, and through us, and it is His presence that makes us to be more than conquerors through Him, even overcomers and victors through Him that loved us and gave Himself for us, by Him alone and with the grace and strength He alone so gives us, we can prevail, we can overcome and shine in a positive way that Jesus would want us to, even on the rocky roads of life, even when it is hard, maybe we feel down and discouraged. Look up child of God, His Light, the Light of the world, Jesus, is there with you, shining in the midst of your difficult times, in the darkness. The darkness does not alone indicate that we have been wrong, it may at times mean we have done something right, or we are doing something right, something God desires for us to do, something that brings Him pleasure, but He wants you to continue on in this faith walk in life, you, we must persevere, we have come too far, He has carried us too far, to quit or turn around. I would like to add something to this, after that place was covered in darkness, a darkness that did not stop the one speaking or the audience who was listening, the light came back on right when the person had finished with delivering the words God place on that person's heart to share. The light even when it has been dark, usually can turn back on at any given time, when we least expect it sometimes. Wait for the Light to be there, chances are, He is certainly already there, though you may not feel it at the time. Praise the Lord, Jesus, for His Light that is there always, even in dark times when we may not see the way ahead of us in that moment. Do not give up, persevere, He will be there to help us, to strengthen us, and to clear the way ahead for us. Jesus, the ultimate Light who shines in darkness, that precious Light of the world is with us at all times, in every place, overcoming the dark, difficult days that brings gloom, the Light is shining bright even in those times, and our faith is the victory that overcometh the world, that is the difficult times and trials of this age that are laying there waiting to overshadow us, but Jesus is there around you, He is shining there next to you and I, and He is closer to us than the shade of any tree we could sit under, He is the breath of fresh air, the cool of the breeze outside, He refreshes us, He strengthens and encourages us, that is how close He stays to our sides, regardless of what we cannot see or feel at the time.