Lost in Darkness but Found in the Light

Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri is biweekly and a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we examined Trusting God. This week we will investigate Being Lost in Darkness and Found in the Light of God.  When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: John 8:12

¹² Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said,
I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me
will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of life.

Thomas Dorsey, the author of this hymn, like others also wrote from a heart of despair. History tells us that he was in St. Louis being featured as an artist during a revival meeting when he received the telegram announcing that his wife died and soon after, his newborn son also died. Receiving this announcement in this manner was enough to bring him physically and spiritually to his knees.

PARABLE: Grief, loss, guilt, pain, and other life circumstances can lead us to dark nights of the soul. If we are not careful, they urge us to turn away from God. Depression can become our companion as the inner talk of “could of, would of, and should of” invades our sanity. The feelings associated with grief and loss are natural. Depression is when we experience persistent sadness and loss of interest.

Our brain’s natural tendency to focus on the negative can draw us into a physically, emotionally, and spiritually draining tsunami and numb us from experiencing the pain. I understand sorrow being so heavy that you want to escape. I know what the dark curtains of depression can do to our spiritual light. Trying to run from the pain can exhaust us. To heal, we have to confess that we are tired, weak, feel alone, and are lost in the darkness. To overcome the difficult thoughts, feelings, and sensations associated with our tragedy we must recognize, acknowledge, and investigate the darkness and allow Jesus, the Light of the World to nurture the pain.

God never leaves us but in times of loss, isolation, and depression, we can feel alone. It is during these times that spiritual warfare is occurring and the evil one is coercing us to keep our emotional distress a secret. This is when we must do the opposite and ask for help! From our fallen stance of sadness and hopelessness, we must seek God’s hand to lead us to the light. We must also recognize God has equipped some of His children to lead you into the light of God’s Healing Presence. He has placed someone in your life to walk with you on your journey toward hope, healing and health. When you find yourself in the darkness, invite God to take your hand, lead you out of the darkness, and to help you stand.  

PONDER and WANDER:  When you find yourself in the darkness, how do you get to the light? Who has God placed in your life that will be your designated flashlight one step at a time as you walk towards Jesus?

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, when you are ready, invite the Holy Spirit to help you to ponder these questions:

• First, consider the question, Am I secretive about my emotional distress?
• Next,  reflect on the question, Do I seek support from others in times of distress and how?
• Then, consider if you are currently experiencing emotional distress, isolation, and/or dark thoughts (click here to take a depression survey).
• Now, Ask God to take your hand and to lead you to help that you may see His light in this darkness.
• Finally, share your distress with a friend, family member, spouse, or counselor.

God has a plan for you to walk in His light. It may include allowing someone else to be the flashlight to your recovery. Hold on to His hand, with His guidance, you can stand. If you are not experiencing any darkness, ask yourself who in my life may need me to shine light? Do you have a friend who lives alone, someone experiencing a challenging time, someone who needs you to listen? Allow God to direct you to that person lost in darkness and direct them to The Light.

PRAYER: Jesus, sometimes the circumstances of life are dark and I get tired and too weak to see past the current moment. BUT… You are the Light of the World. Help me to be transparent with my emotional distress. Surround me with light-bearers who light my path toward healing by shining their lights on You. In the healing name of Jesus I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to breathe in and let the work of your wandering fill you with His healing light.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Trust in Him appeared first on Resonant 7.

_{Image Attributions:
Light bearing hand: Pixabay 
Take my hand: Belovedwomen.org photo with added text}

BONUS REFLECTION: Take a moment to let in the light of Jesus. You will find healing and hope in Jesus, the Light of the World.