1 John 1:5
Worship Devo with Megan Killoran
Dive Deeper
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
1 John 1:5
Behind the Scenes
The other day, with all that unexpected snow, our house lost power for seventeen hours. We have large windows, so it was fine until nighttime when everything was dark. Thankfully, a friend brought a generator over so that we could plug in our fridge and a lamp to see. They left, and then without thinking, I unplugged the lamp to change extension chords without a backup light, and I was in complete darkness.
I think we all know the feeling of trying to plug something in an outlet without light. It should NOT be so difficult to do, but there I was, fumbling with the plug, tempted to force it out of frustration which would break it instead. I felt the outlet with my fingers, then tried again to plug it in, and it’s almost impressively frustrating without light. But alas, I finally plugged the dang thing in correctly, and voila. There was light!
It makes me think about the dark time in my life, when I felt like I was drowning in deep in depression wondering where God was. Simple tasks became difficult. Getting out of bed felt like climbing a mountain, and darkness felt like it would swallow me whole. Some of you may feel that way right now, and most of us can remember moments when we felt similarly. If there is no darkness in God at all, then how is it that parts of my life have felt void of light, like an emotional power outage that lasted way too long?
Make it Real
I love where John goes with this in the very beginning of his gospel. God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. He doesn’t say a little bit, or sometimes. There’s no grey in-between. The statement is as black and white as his analogy to light and darkness.
If I’m completely honest with you, I was in a dark place for so long because I clung to my grief like a dog to its own vomit. I wouldn’t have admitted it then, but I can admit it now. I allowed lies to feed me, and they festered and grew like wild roots in a black forest, entangling me completely. I accepted them as truths, and my downward spiral worsened by the hour it seemed.
It was only when I laid down all of my hurt and brokenness to God when His light invaded my darkness. This is not to say that it took away grief or sadness, but, if lies enter that space, I encourage you to vocalize those lies, and then vocalize the opposing truths. It’s a battle, and it’s not easy. We are most vulnerable when we experience loss of any kind, and it’s important to recognize our susceptibility so that we can cling to light in all circumstances. Cling to light in times of joy, and cling to it in difficult seasons, too.
His light prevails, always. His truths are greater than any lie. His comfort is greater than our deepest grief. His love runs deeper than our darkest shame. His strength is stronger than our battle. Amen!
Ali Bir
ACF Devo Team
End in Prayer
Jesus,
I need Your light. I’m tired of living in any sort of darkness. Please help me to see the lies that keep me trapped in the dark. Please help me to surrender them to You.
In the matchless name of Christ,
Amen