A Prayer for Clarity When Life Is Dark
By: Emily Rose Massey
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. - (1 John 1:5, NKJV).
It has been a tough few months for me, I won’t lie. Stress levels have been high. Nap times are fleeting and becoming very few and far between with my two (almost three) year old. We started homeschooling our Kindergartener. And in September, our family grew as we added another sweet prince to our bunch. I’m officially a momma to three boys now. To top it all off, we are experiencing colic for the first time with our newest (fussy) bundle of joy. Needless to say, the days (and nights) have been very long.
When I need a break, I have to try to sneak away before the sun or stay up late once everyone has finally fallen asleep. But my body is just tired and needs rest.
My soul is longing to release creative expression, but to be completely honest, I don’t have very much mental clarity to sit down and let the writing flow right now. I have felt so utterly distracted by my present circumstances.
Complaining and whining is such a temptation. And I will be the first to admit that I have had my moments.
But I know God wants me to find contentment regardless of my circumstances. He is pleased when I am grateful, even when my eyes cannot see past the junk and funk.
The question that has been on my heart lately is: Where is my focus? It is so easy to get caught up in my present situation and become distracted by the chaos around me that seems to completely overwhelm, but I know where my eyes need to be centered upon- the Lord, my ever-present help. The other night as I reflected upon all of this, I decided to Google the word “focus.”
The verb form’s definition of “focus” stirred me:
“Adapt to the prevailing level of light and become able to see clearly.”
Wow.
Prevailing level of light.
As a Christian, I know Who the “prevailing level of light” is because we find the answer in 1 John: “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5, NKJV). If we adapt our eyes or focus our eyes on Jesus Christ, the Light, we are able to see clearly.
How easy it is for us to focus on what is right in front of our noses! How easy it is to get caught up in the chaos of life, begin to sink, and lose our hope!
But looking to the Lord shines a light on the reality of the circumstances and brings clarity once again! Suddenly, the Lord helps give us an eternal perspective and suddenly our problems begin to fade and seem so small standing next to Him.
So today, I am choosing to readjust my focus on the Light and trusting that I will be able to experience God’s peace and clarity no matter what my eyes see as He shines His light upon what truly matters and what truly brings rest in the midst of stress and the chaos.
Father,
I thank You for giving me Your Light when everything in my life seems so dark, dim, and dreary. Even though my circumstances may not change, may Your light shine in my life and give me clarity and a renewed vision so that I may see my life through the lens of eternity and what truly matters in this life. I pray for strength and fully trust that You will use my present circumstances to show me Your purpose in it as you conform me into the image of Christ.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a stay-at-home momma while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
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