The Lamp of Our Soul
One morning a couple weeks back, I was praying about the time of darkness it seemed I have been walking through, hoping that it would soon draw to an end and the ever present clouds would lift. As I prayed, in faith, that He would indeed not leave me in this season forever, I then found myself praying that even in the darkness, He would be the light inside me.
I began to read Isaiah 50, meditating on its words and declaring them over my own life. As I prayed through what they said, I put my hope in the Sovereign Lord and His power, because I undeniably cannot stand on my own confidence:
“Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me. Who will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.” Isaiah 50:7-9
These words have been understood as referring to Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, in Whom we now live. He became our righteousness, and through Him we are vindicated. As followers of Him, we are also called to “imitate Christ”(1 Cor. 11:1), for “whoever says he abides in Him, ought to walk in the same way in which He walked”(1 John 2:6). With that in mind, I made these words my own, seeking to embrace their message of courage and hope for my own life.
Verse 10 in particular spoke to me:
“Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on their God.”
Amid many other verses about those in the Lord living and walking in the light, this verse evidently acknowledges that we sometimes will walk in darkness, similar to David's reference to the shadow of the valley.
Evidently, the Bible confirms that in this life, we will still journey through times of darkness, until the day that the Light will forever overcome the darkness. In that day,
“There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 22:5
After reading Isaiah 50:10, I was left with the fact that experiences of darkness in our lives is inevitable, but that our directive is the same: to trust in the name of the Lord—in His faithfulness, in who He is—and to rely on Him to carry us through the valley. Following this revelation, I was led to pray a different prayer. Rather than praying that He would take the darkness away, though I still hope He will soon, I instead prayed that He would be the lamp in my soul that would never go out, even while surrounded by darkness.
A few hours later I pulled out my Bible to work on my word study, and directly preceding the verse I had been studying was this:
“The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one's inmost being.”
Proverbs 20:27
In answer to my prayer, this proverb confirms that our spirit is in fact exactly where God's lamp resides. It is in our spirit that we are joined with Him, and that is where He dwells when we put our trust in Him. It is to our spirit that He speaks, and it is in our spirit that He places His lamp that does not go out. Those who belong to the Lord have a lamp that is lit within their inmost being—even though they may be surrounded by the deepest, darkest night—His lamp continues to shine within the part that matters most. The eyes of our mind may be shadowed, the eyes of our body may dim, our emotions may dive into the blackest pit, wrenched in turmoil. Even in those times, the Lord is still Sovereign, His name is still our salvation, our strong tower and our hope. Our trust in Him is not in vain, and we can rely on His faithfulness even when our situations do not change. We can cling to the hope that the night will not last forever, and that there will be joy when the morning comes.
“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5
And even as we wait for that morning, God's love, mercy and faithfulness is promised to continue to be available each and every day we rise. The moment we wake to face the day, He will be there and He has not abandoned us. He will preserve us, and carry us through it all.
“Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
The hope that I'll choose to stand on is that through the darkness there continues to be something deep inside: a Lamp burning within my soul, fueled unceasingly by His spirit. Darkness may endure for a time, but joy will come with the morning, and the morning will come.
If you can relate, and find yourself in a similar season, I would love to share two songs that have been an encouragement to me. I love music, I just can't help it! :) Collide by Skillet (if you like that style), and As Sure As the Sun by Ellie Holcomb. I'm pretty certain that I've mentioned the latter in a previous blog, but that's okay.
Also, if you have enjoyed this blog, I'd love to hear from you!
Lots of love!
<3
