The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “DARKNESS AND LIGHT” for Friday, 19 August 2016 with Scripture: Genesis 1:14-19

The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “DARKNESS AND LIGHT” for Friday, 19 August 2016 with Scripture: Genesis 1:(A: ii) 14 God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to divide the day from the night; let them be for signs, seasons, days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth”; and that is how it was. 16 God made the two great lights — the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night — and the stars. 17 God put them in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 So there was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.
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The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.[John 1:5 (NIV)]
My mother was a teenager in Norway during World War II. She has told me what it was like to grow up in a country under siege. Among other things, she has mentioned how totally dark it was at night. Everyone had to darken their windows, and no streetlights were lit — to prevent enemy bombers from seeing their targets.
One evening, during a rather difficult period of my life, I was praying. Suddenly, I envisioned a house situated in complete darkness, with all the blinds drawn but fully lit on the inside. Then the blinds were pulled aside, and the light streamed out into the darkness. But the darkness did not stream into the light!
This vision renewed my hope. The despair that had threatened to overwhelm me could not stand against the love of Jesus Christ. He is in me and he surrounds me. Life’s struggles are unavoidable. But when we stay close to Jesus in all circumstances, we will be safe: “Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Rom. 14:8).
The Author: Elin Ulmo Hunnes (Norway)
Thought for the Day: Despair can never conquer the love of Christ.
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for carrying me through the hard days. Amen.
Prayer focus: PEOPLE IN COUNTRIES AT WAR

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