“The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life He brings into Light. He was in the world, the world was there through Him, and yet the world didn’t even notice. He came to His own people, but they didn’t want Him. But whoever did want Him, who believed He was who He claimed and would do what He said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten” ~ John 1:9-13, MSG.

God leads me to John 1:9 often, especially when things in life look dark and grim. Sometimes my heart wants to just say, “Yes, Lord, I know You are The Light and You enlighten the heart of every person seeking You.” Then I pause, knowing God ALWAYS has something to say to my heart when I obediently and expectantly revisit such familiar passages. Lately God uses the wording of The Message to inspire greater depth of understanding with greater breadth of hope. Today is one such day.

Someone I love greatly; someone we trusted with others we love; he made choices that did great harm to our beloveds and put himself into the legal system of our nation, sanctioned by God. After five long years, he faced his days in court and lost the battle. Yesterday our little ones said goodbye to their dad. Today he goes into his confinement. My heart breaks for all concerned. My cry goes to God for each. He leads me to His promises, and through this passage reminds me to “only believe!”

My heart is especially with this man who I still love despite his sin and the consequences it brought to all. I cry out to God for his protection and for his strength in this new journey he is on. I believe God, who tells my heart that He is with him to protect Him and I cry out for his faith to know this as well. And I believe this promise that through this difficult season, God will use all to make this man into the true self God planned for him.

Faith often grows strongest in the winds of adversity. God takes us to greater depths of understanding His faithfulness through the challenges this life presents us. The darker the hour, the closer to the heart of Christ it requires us to come, so His light can shine on the truth of God’s faithfulness toward us. God assures my heart today that through faith, He is making each of us into our true, Child-of-God selves. The requirement: see the Light of God shining on His promises and only believe. Trust His hand in the journey, and cling to His word.

Whatever difficulty you are in today, beloved, I pray the promises of God for you. I pray you will only believe that God is who He says He is, and that He will do all He says He will do. I pray that He enlightens your heart, your day, your path, your experience, leading you surely to become the true, Child-of-God person He planned from before time began.

~*~

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn entirely away from evil. It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones” ~ Proverbs 3:5-8, AMP.